Time And Again
by LaLaCat1
Summary: Desperate to escape LaPush Jacob runs away.His flight takes him to Cross Academy, a school with a dark secret.There he will find himself faced with the hardest choice of all;to follow his instinct or to protect the only thing stoping a vampire war
1. Chapter 1

Hello every one! Ok, I found some one to read ove this for me! Mirwen8 is kick ass and read it over for me. The next chap. will come out within a fue days with any luck.

With that out of the way, this is going to be put under Vampire Knight heading instead of the Twilight one because most of the story takes place at Cross Academy. I'll try to explain the Twilight characters as thoroughly as possible, so that anyone that hasn't read the books can understand the story. If you haven't read them yet and you like Vampire Knight you need to look into the books! And there will be parings in this story, but they aren't going to be what they might immediately look like. I'm trying something new here.

Sorry for the long note, I own nothing, on with the story.

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Jacob heard him long before he saw him. The wheezing, gasping sobs were clear from almost a mile away with his enhanced hearing. Even still when the source of the noise finally came into view a dark thrill ran through him. Sitting at the base of a large tree, deep in the dark woods, was a boy.

He was young, no older than sixteen. Silvery blond hair fell into his face, which was white as a sheet and covered in a thin layer of sweat. He had his knees drawn up to his chest and his arms wrapped so tightly around his torso it actually looked painful. The closer Jacob crept the stronger the sickly sweet odor that burned his nose became.

The boy was a vampire.

A low growl escaped Jacob. Finally, after weeks of running in an attempt to distance himself from Bella and her choice, he had found an outlet for his anger. Here was a vampire that he could kill without so much as a second thought. There were no Cullens to make things difficult with their damn treaty, and no Bella to make him feel guilty. There was only instinct, and it demanded he do what he was made to do.

The blood sucker glanced up and his eyes immediately fell onto Jacob. The werewolf took no small amount of satisfaction in knowing the way that he must look to the vampire; a huge shaggy wolf the size of a small horse baring his fangs threateningly. It would terrify anyone, hell it terrified Bella, and that was saying something. This monster would be shaking in his own skin.

A heartbeat, low and steady up until that moment, suddenly increased its tempo. That gave Jacob a moment's pause. Why would there be a heartbeat? Vampires didn't have a pulse, so they couldn't have a beating heart. Was there a human around that was still alive? Was that what he was hearing, and if it was why couldn't he smell them?

Silver-gray eyes watched Jacob blankly. They were glazed over in what could only be described as pain. What a vampire could possibly have to be in pain about was a mystery. And … were those tears on the vampire's cheeks? Could vampires cry? That seemed rather unusual.

Jacob took a step forward. The heart beat faster and the boy went absolutely still. He wasn't even breathing, and only the absence of the raged breaths alerted Jacob to the fact that the boy _had _been breathing to begin with. What sort of vampire had a beating heart, could cry, and actually bothered with breathing? There was no mistaking it, the boy _was _a vampire. The stink was all over him, and not in the left over sort of way that it used to cling to Bella. Used to, but now--

Now was not the time for reflections on Bella Swan.

Jacob moved forward slowly, his lips pulled back to reveal his long fangs. The slight color that had been present in the boy's face drained away and his jaw tightened. Something flared in his eyes, which flashed a deep crimson. That confirmed it without a shadow of a doubt. Red eyes were the mark of a well fed vampire; Bella had explained that long ago.

This creature was going to die.

Jacob pounced.

The boy moved with lightning fast speed. His hand disappeared into his rumpled black jacket for a split second, only to return with something metallic. A gun. It went off with a bang, bullet whizzing past Jacob's left ear. The boy cursed violently. Quick as a flash, the wolf clamped down on the ridiculous chain that connected the gun to the vampire's jacket. Jerking his head to the side, Jacob heard a satisfying rip and an even more satisfying yelp as the chain tore away from the bloodsucker's clothes. Another quick jerk sent the gun sailing a foot behind the werewolf.

Not for the first time Jacob wished he could smirk in this form.

The vampire was on his feet and lunging for the weapon within a second. Jacob was upon him just as quickly, his massive jaw clamping down on the bloodsuckers' thin arm. His teeth slipped into the boy's flesh as easily as if it were butter. Warm butter. Blood spilled down past his jowls. The boy screamed as he was jerked backwards by Jacob's iron tight grip, feet slipping on the loose litter.

And suddenly Jacob was more confused then ever before. Vampires, even the young ones, had flesh that was harder than this one's. And no vampire Jacob had ever fought had blood in its vein. That was the whole reason they craved it, why they needed it to live. They had no blood of there own to sustain themselves with, so they needed the blood of others.

What in the world was going on? Vampires didn't cry, they didn't have heartbeats, they didn't bleed, and they certainly didn't need a gun to defend themselves with. What in the world was this kid?

Jacob was pulled from his confusion by a sudden, sharp pain exploding in his nose. As the boy elbowed him in the snout a second time with his free appendage he released the trapped arm on instinct and shook his head to rid himself of the pain. The boy used that moment to make another scrambling bid for the gun. His hand barely ghosted over the weapon before Jacob was there, twisting the metal into a useless mess with his teeth.

An angry growl escaped him.

Real, honest fear flashed in the boy's eyes as he stared up into the werewolf's face. Jacob slammed into him, pinning him to the ground on his back. The force of the impact knocked the boy's breath out of his lungs. Another oddity, the fact that he had breath at all. And then the strangest thing of all occurred. The boy's fear filled gray eyes suddenly closed. Absolute acceptance seemed to emanate from his very being. Whatever Jacob planned to do the boy would not try to stop.

Why? What vampire would willingly accept death when he had the ability to fight?

Jacob growled in equal parts anger and annoyance. The boy didn't move, didn't even flinch. And then suddenly, his eyes shot open, blood red staring up at Jacob with an eerie glow. Agony flashed across his face as his back arched and his fingers dug into the soft leaves beneath him. He whimpered and tossed his head as his whole body seemed to go into seizures. Something close to pleading shone from his eyes as he looked up at Jacob.

What the hell was going on? What was that desperate look for? Four long, miserable minutes passed. When the pain finally subsided the boy seemed to be drained. He lay still upon the ground, watching Jacob listlessly. Sweat dampened his hair and made it cling to his pale forehead. His breath came in unsteady puffs as more tears slowly made their way down his cheeks.

Unbidden, images of Bella flashed through the werewolf's mind.

Jacob was furious. Not because he was staring down at a vampire. Not because of the bad memories this moment was bringing up. No, he was furious because he suddenly felt guilty. There was no way he could stare down into the face of a child younger then he even was who was welcoming death so submissively and _not _feel something. He sighed. Much as he hated to admit it, the boy had quipped his interest and his ire. Killing him didn't seem to be such a great idea anymore. He continued to stare down into eyes that shifted between gray and red with each pained breath as he considered.

What options did Jacob really have? The most productive one would obviously be to do what he had intended to do when this confrontation began. Unfortunately that wasn't going to happen with the way things were going. Could he just let the boy go? Would that be betraying some fundamental part of who he was? More importantly, would that put anyone else in danger?

The boy gave a small shudder. Jacob blinked down at him. Was that out of fear? He certainly didn't smell frightened. Another shudder ran through the small vampire. His pale lips were pressed together tightly and looked to be shaking as well. Jacob sighed in frustration. First the boy practically asked to be killed and now he was so scared he was trembling?

The boy gave a small sigh of his own, his breath rising in a miniscule cloud between the two. And suddenly Jacob realized his mistake. The boy wasn't scared, he was cold. That probability had not been immediately apparent to Jacob because vampires were not supposed to get cold. Once again, this boy seemed to be destroying all his preconceived, _tested _notions.

Jacob allowed himself to flop down onto the boy, his large body covering the smaller one completely. Unease ran rampant through those gray-red eyes, but he didn't really blame the bloodsucker. Having a massive wolf laying on top on him couldn't have been particularly calming or comfortable. He rested his shaggy head on the boy's chest, his snout inches away from the throat he'd been intending to ripping open. The boy didn't move a muscle. He was most definitely holding his breath. Once again Jacob wished this form allowed him to smirk. He was extremely pleased with the way the boy was reacting. If he couldn't kill the blood sucker he could at least give him a scare.

This close to him Jacob found that the boy's scent was slightly off. He did smell like a vampire, but the scent was muted and awkward. There was no real way to describe it. It was definitely the same sort of scent that clung to the Cullens, but not anywhere near as strong. There was still a human undercurrent to it that not even the newborns he had fought back home had possessed. Jacob sat upon the vampire, deep in thought. The sheer number of things about this boy that didn't add up were staggering. It was like suddenly being presented with a whole new creature, like seeing Bigfoot for the first time. It just wasn't right.

A jolt ran threw Jacob as a soft touch stirred his fur. His eyes snapped to the pale face of the vampire in surprise. The boy was staring up at him hesitantly. Cold fingers brushed through thick fur once again, but very slowly. He seemed to be searching for any sign of ensuing violence on Jacob's part. When he was not immediately slaughtered the boy stroked him again.

"What in the world are you?"

The voice was soft and raw and so utterly human that Jacob nearly cringed. The boy sighed almost sadly.

"Why haven't you killed me yet?" he questions miserably.

Jacob heard himself growl low in his throat. The boy froze. There was still a complete absence of fear in his face, and his question certainly wasn't one of fright either. It truly sounded as if he wanted to be killed and found the fact that he wasn't a bit disappointing.

Red flaired in the boy's eyes once again and he cringed. A soft whimper slipped past his clenched teeth as his whole body stiffened. Jacob cocked his head to the side in frustration. Every time the boy's eyes turned red he seemed to be in pain. Why was that? As far as Jacob knew red eyes were the mark of a particularly well fed vampire. It was no reason to be writhing in agony. Then again, the boy had yet to display one characteristic of a normal vampire.

Once the red subsided once more the boy gave a small grown of relief. He cracked his gray eyes open and stared straight up, past Jacob. It was almost as if he were seeing something other than the tree tops above them.

"It hurts," he whispered. Absolute misery clung to his voice. "I just want it to stop."

The boy closed his eyes tightly. "I'm so thirsty it hurts. I'm afraid that I'm going to attack Yuki or one of the other students. I don't want to, but I don't think I can help myself anymore," he half sobbed. He sounded so guilty and so miserable that for half a second Jacob considered trying to comfort him. But he checked that impulse as quickly as it came. Besides, as a wolf there really wasn't much he could do to comfort.

"Someone should just kill me before I do damage that can't be fixed."

Things were beginning to make sense to Jacob now. The vampire had to be young, inexperienced in the ways of his kind. The red of his eyes must be a sign of his worsening thirst, Bella must have gotten that bit of information wrong. Knowing that fact made it harder to justify letting the boy live, he had as good as admitted that he was going to try to attack someone soon. He'd even asked to be killed! And yet, all Jacob wanted to do was sit where he was and see what happened.

A cold wind ran through the trees, making the boy shiver and causing Jacob to freeze. There came on that wind a scent he would have been able to identify anywhere; another vampire. Not a weak, half starved fledgling that didn't even have the characteristics of a proper vampire. No, the one that was currently making his way here was strong. Jacob could practically feel the creature's essence darkening the surrounding air. That didn't frighten the werewolf in anyway; he had faced dangerous bloodsuckers before and come out of it relatively unscathed. What did bother him was the certainty he had that if he was still here when this second vampire arrived someone would die. That someone would be a member of the undead, but Jacob had a sinking feeling that it would be the boy beneath him that would end up dead….again.

He stood carefully, the body prone on the ground going instantly rigged. As quickly and as silently as he could the werewolf slipped into the surrounding darkness, but went no further than was absolutely necessary. He was out of sight and down wind, there was no chance of being spotted. Jacob would attest it to morbid curiosity, there was no way he would stay in the bushes and watch the young vampire because he was concerned. He wasn't. Not at all. He stayed because there was a _dangerous _vampire about to appear and it was Jacob's duty to determine whether or not he needed to do something about that.

Darkness closed in around the clearing and the cold grew arctic. One moment the boy was alone, shifting slowly on the ground as he tried to rouse himself and the next there was someone beside him.

The new vampire was older than the boy on the ground, tall and lean. His skin was so utterly pale it was white, and his hair was a dark, rich mop of brown curls that bled into the darkness around him. The bloodsucker seemed to radiate power, so much so that the hair on Jacob's back was standing on end. Even Edward had never roused this sort of response.

The newcomer shook his head with a sigh. He leaned down closer to the boy on the ground, who in return tried to scramble away.

"You're a stubborn child, Kiryu ," he said softly. His voice was smooth and seductive, the sort of voice that drew the unsuspecting in. "Is my assistance so repulsive to you that you would rather suffer than accept it?"

The boy, Kiryu, glared, or he tried to. In his weakened state the expression looked more pitiful than intimidating. The older vampire reached out and pulled the boy up close to his chest. Kiryu struggled and fought, cursing with surprising vehemence. His protests were completely ignored. Jacob had to stifle a growl, for some reason Kiryu's distress bothered him.

"It's alright," the vampire said calmly. "Drink, before you lose yourself to your hunger."

"Get away from me Kuran!" Kiryu hissed.

"You've taken my blood before, why is now any different?"

"I didn't want it then either!"

Kuran sighed. With one arm wrapped around Kiryu 's back keeping him pinned against his larger chest, Kuran raked his fingers down the side of his own neck. Blood followed the motion instantly. The boy groaned miserably and closed his eyes. The older bloodsucker calmly dipped his fingers into his blood and then wiped them across the lips of his struggling captive.

The effect was immediate. Whatever restraint the boy had vanished. He lunged forward, sinking his fangs into the other vampire's neck almost desperately. Kuran gave a small gasp as the boy's arms snaked out of the grip they had been in to cling to the other vampire's shirt. Jacob looked away.

He had never seen a vampire feed before. It somehow made it much harder to think of the boy in terms of innocent and non-murder worthy. Not if he was at all capable of doing to a normal person what he was doing to Kuran. Against his better judgment Jacob turned back to the two vampires. Kiryu was drinking deeply from his willing victim. His head was turned away from Jacob, so the werewolf had no way of knowing whether or not he was enjoying his meal. Somehow he hoped Kiryu wasn't.

He was even more confused by Kuran. His face was blank and collected, showing no signs of whether he liked or disliked the fact that he still had his arms around the parasite feeding off of him. A sudden frown flickered across his face before he glanced down at the younger vampire.

"You don't need this much. If you keep drinking the way you are you'll end up killing me. Do you intend to do that?" he asked, his velvety voice full of a subtle sort of condescension.

Kiryu made a small, unintelligible sound deep in his throat and didn't stop drinking. Jacob felt himself shift slightly closer. Would Kuran just let himself be killed? That would be pleasant. To his disappointment, Kuran calmly and efficiently pulled Kuryu away from his neck. Now that his face wasn't so close to the other bloodsucker Jacob could see his expression perfectly. Kiryu's eyes were half lidded and dilated, glowing a deep red. Blood was dripping down his chin and onto his shirt. His body seemed boneless, limp and malleable as he lied in Kuran's arms. He looked drunk, or drugged, as if he had no idea what was going on anymore. The older vampire had his head cocked to the side, considering the boy before him.

Kiryu blinked owlishly, and then blinked again. His eyes flicked to the blood on Kuran's neck and shirt collar. Distress slowly blossomed in them. He said something, but Jacob couldn't make it out, it was too jumbled. He tried to pull away, but for some reason Kuran's blood seemed to have made him no stronger then he was when the confrontation started.

"Go to sleep, Kiryu . You're tired and I don't feel like explaining to Yuki why I had to beat you in order to get you to come back with me," said Kuran. There was something odd in his voice though, something that made Jacob's ears ring and his head feel fuzzy.

Immediately he was reminded of Edward and his ability to read minds. There was a very good chance that this vampire had some sort of ability, like the Cullens all did. Hadn't Bella said once that most vampires developed a special talent when they were turned? If Kuran did have a power, what was it?

Kiryu seemed to sag in his arms almost immediately. This time, when he spoke Jacob had no problem hearing the fleeting, angry words, "I hate you, Kuran."

The older vampire was silent as he waited for Kiryu to fall completely asleep. It took a matter of moments, and Jacob was positive he had done it with some sort of power. Kiryu's head fell forwed, resting against a white clad shoulder. Kuran shifted the boy's weight in his arms, lifting him up and holding him surprisingly gently.

"I'm well aware of that," he murmured to the sleeping boy. He turned, heading back into the woods and way from Jacob. He had reached the thresh hold of the darkness in the trees before stopping suddenly.

Kuran didn't turn around.

"I would suggest you go far away from here. The next time I find you near Kiryu or anyone else, especially in that form, I will kill you, wolf."

The darkness reached out and swallowed Kuran and his charge, leaving Jacob alone in the woods.


	2. Chapter 2

Alright, here's chapter two! I tried to start explaining about Jacob and hinting at why he's doing what he's doing now (running away from life) without giving it all away. More will be revealed as the story goes on. If there are any questions that you still want answer about him feel free to drop me a review and question away. As long as it doesn't give away a plot point I'll spill all!

Chapter #2

Jacob blamed everything on Kuran. If he hadn't threatened him, if he hadn't claimed to be prepared to kill him, nothing further would have developed out of that meeting in the woods. But Kuran decided instead to challenge Jacob. It was one thing to threaten someone, but it was something altogether different than a simple threat from Kuran. It wasn't "I'll kill you" in the sense that they would fight and someone would lose. No, the way the bloodsucker had said it translated to "You have no chance of living if I decide to kill you." There was no way Jacob could walk away from that.

He waited a full hour before following the two parasites. It wasn't difficult to track them; their sent was unmistakable, like rotting flowers saturated in water. At one point that scent had been pleasant-- there was a ghost of that former glory wrapped within it-- but not anymore. Now there was death wrapped up in that scent that was never going to go away and was never going to be pleasing.

The trek through the dark, still woods was an unnerving one. Sounds that should have been present in such an environment, the rustling of leaves, the chirping of night creatures, were all muted. They were out there, Jacob could smell them, but the vampires had frightened them into stillness. He was almost grateful when the woods ended and the outskirts of a large complex came into view. At first he had no idea what it was he was looking at. A tall stone wall enclosed large, gothic styled buildings, all looking well maintained. It almost appeared like some sort of resort. Mindful of any security, Jacob crept along the outer wall. The fact that he did not encounter any one at all did not quell his growing unease. That too sweet smell of death was stronger now, almost sickeningly so.

A rod iron gate was set into the wall and beside the gate, inlayed in the gray bricks, was a metal plaque. It read, "Cross Academy". Jacob gave the sign a speculative look. An Academy? That meant that the buildings on the other side of the wall were part of a school. A school with vampires in it. Once again Jacob found himself thinking of La Push, of the Cullens. Why were there so many schools with vampires loitering in them? An angry snarl slipped past his clenched teeth. Didn't any one realize the danger they were in?

The bars of the gate were too thin to slip through, even if he reverted to his human form, but the gate was shorter than the wall itself. Short enough that it might be jumpable. Slowly he backed up, eyes narrowed and focused on the iron bars. They were tipped with decorative spikes, the sort that would be very painful if he miscalculated the effort needed to clear them. With an explosion of speed, Jacob charged forward and pushed off the ground with his hind legs. For one glorious moment he was airborne, free of all the concerns that had grounded him so powerfully, and then he was touching down on damp, manicured grass.

Night still clung heavily to the grounds; it was much too late for anyone to be up and about. That, at least, was a small blessing. The less people there were to have to hide from the better. Even still, Jacob moved cautiously, sticking close to the shadows as he slunk from building to building. His nose was burning from the over powering stench of rotting death that came from the vampires. They must have spent a ridiculously large amount of time in this particular area to have left such a saturated stench.

Furtive footfalls caught his keen ears and Jacob froze. What would someone be doing out on the school grounds this late for? He slipped into the deepest of shadows underneath a window overhang, particularly grateful that the place was downwind, and waited. It didn't take long, almost as soon as he settled himself a boy came into view, slinking around the hallway corner. He looked to be about seventeen, maybe younger, with wild waves of dirty blond hair. He was handsome, with wide blue eyes set in startlingly pale face. There was something mischievous and almost childish about the way he moved, and yet, at the same time each action was executed with a flawless grace.

The boy yawned, revealing a set of sharp fangs.

It took a surprising amount of self control for Jacob to stop himself from growling. What was this place, some sort of haven for vampires? This was the third one! And it had fangs! Fangs! Did the Cullens' have fangs? Not that Jacob could recall.

The blood sucker flopped down on the stone bench not ten feet away from his hiding place and made himself comfortable. His blue eyes slid shut and in moments he appeared to have drifted off to sleep. Jacob watched him for a moment that seemed to become an eternity. A very large part of him was screaming for the hiding spot to be abandoned and this new threat to be dealt with. But a larger part of him was demanding caution. So far he knew of three vampires in the area. That didn't mean there couldn't be more. Besides, he had no idea what this particular monster was capable of.

With that in mind, Jacob shifted further into the corner and the darkness it provided. The motion displaced a small pebble, causing it to move along the hard surface of the ground. The sound was no were near loud enough for a normal human to have heard, but a vampire was a different story.

Blue eyes shot open and a blond head turned to look in the direction of the shadowy windowsill. Jacob held his breath as the blood sucker gazed levelly into his hiding place. If he had to, he could kill the creature, but that would ruin his chance at secrecy. Blue eyes narrowed, whether in an attempt to see better or in recognition Jacob couldn't tell. The surrounding air seemed to drop in temperature, turning frigid. Small crystals of ice began to grow along the stones Jacob had his back pressed against.

"Aido, what are you doing out here?"

Instantly all traces of hostility vanished from the bloodsucker's face to be replaced with something more akin to a child caught in the act of some misdeed. He sat up and turned to blink sheepishly back in the direction he had originally come from at another boy. This one was older and looked to be at least as tall as Kuran had been. His light hair fell into his equally light face as he walked forward. There was an amiable air about him, but his mouth was currently turned down into a disapproving frown. He too was a vampire.

"Ichijo," the smaller bloodsucker acknowledge guiltily. "I didn't expect to see you out here."

Ichijo looked as if the comment almost amused him. "That's because I'm supposed to be in class, just like you are."

Aido's bottom lip jutted out in a pout. In a show of great immaturity he crossed his arms over his chest and turned away from the other vampire. "I don't want to go to class. I already know Physics. It was boring enough the first time."

Sympathy passed across Ichijo's face. He moved forward and placed a comforting hand onto Aido's shoulder.

"I know it's dull, but not every one is as good at math and science as you are. Talk to Kaname-sama about it, I'm sure he could get the chairman to move you up a level," he said.

Aido sighed and gave a small nod. Ichijo beamed at him. With an air more appropriate for one about to face their darkest fear, the younger vampire followed his companion down the hallway. Just before they passed out of sight Aido glanced backwards, eyes narrowed and focused on Jacob's hiding spot. The wolf felt the hair along his back stand on end.

He waited a good ten minutes before following the vampires. Their scent was so strong it made his stomach turn and lurch. Had Jacob still possessed the facial muscles needed to grimace he would have. From the stink around the place it was almost as if a small army of vampires was running around. The hallway the two bloodsuckers in question took led to the closed door of a class room. A small window on the door gave a clear view into the room. It was full of students, at least thirty of them, all milling about calmly.

Every single one of them had the sticky-sweet scent of vampire clinging to them.

Jacob couldn't move, couldn't breathe. He felt every muscle in his body vibrate and contract with the all consuming need for action. The very core of his being was demanding he do something about this, about the swarm of monsters in that room, but his better judgment held him back. Strong and skilled as he might be there was just no way one wolf could take on and win against thirty of those monsters. It just wasn't possible.

Frustrated rage nearly blinded him before a new thought burnt its way into the forefront of his mind. Someone had to have set up classes for these monsters. They were all dressed in white school uniforms, taking notes on the lecture being given. They were a class composed entirely of nocturnal students. That could _not _be an accident, whoever ran the school had done this on purpose.

It looked like it was time to hunt down this 'chairman'.

Finding the man's office was surprisingly simple. It was located in the tower of the most central building's top floor. All very theatrical as far as Jacob was concerned, and his first impression upon entering the office wasn't much better. It was a large room, full of oversized portraits and overstuffed armchairs. Smaller private rooms branched off from the main office, so that the tower was a sort of office for the man to live in. That the chairman was a man was without question; a male scent dominated the room.

Jacob settled himself behind the desk, in the corner of the room, and waited for the man to return. He didn't have to wait long. High, raised voices followed by sharp footsteps announced the presence of at least two people. The footsteps stopped outside the office door, which was pushed partially open. A man stepped through backwards, facing someone still out in the hallway and preventing them from entering the room.

"But I want to see Zero, I just want to be sure he's alright," a girl's voice said pleadingly.

There was a small crack between the top of the desk and the wooden panels that kept it erect through which Jacob could see the man that had opened the door. His hair was long and slightly graying, pulled back into a ponytail at the center of his skull. A thick woolen scarf almost covered his whole chin. The dark coat the man wore made his skin look paler than it actually was. Sharp blue eyes blinked behind oval spectacles.

"He's asleep now. I promise you Yuki, as soon as he wakes up you can go in to see him," the man replied soothingly.

"It's never been a problem for me to go see him before." There was an almost petulant note in the girl's voice now.

"I'd let you, it's just that the night class is about to get out. Someone needs to be there to keep an eye on them," the man pleaded.

Jacob's eyes narrowed. The girl in the hallway must be the Yuki that Kiryu was talking about in the woods. Her face was obscured by the man's larger frame, but her concern was evident. Who this "Zero" was was another matter.

"Fine. I'll go and watch them, but the minute they're are all back in their rooms I'm going to check on Zero," For all her honest concern and forceful insistences, Yuki still sounded like she was asking for permission.

Jacob could just see the man's face from where he was hiding. It was lit by a warm smile as he nodded to Yuki. He watched her hurry away down the hall before slowly closing the door. For a long moment the man just stood there, unmoving, staring at nothing at all.

"You can come out from behind the desk now."

The comment was said calmly enough, but the unmistakable command within it immediately set Jacob on edge. Cautiously, mindful of any sudden attack, Jacob moved out of the shadows and into the partially lit room. The chairman watched him impassively, his hands resting in clear view at his sides. The fact that a wolf the size of a small horse had been lying in wait for him behind his desk didn't seem to bother the man at all. That wasn't normal.

"There's no need for such pretence. I'd find it rather hard to have a conversation with you in this form, Jacob," the man smiled kindly.

It was the use of his name more than anything else that made Jacob transform. He was rattled, spooked even, that this man knew enough about him to realize that he wasn't the wolf he appeared to be. He wanted answers, and he wanted them now. Still, the change came as a surprise. It was smooth and immediate, the second he thought of his human form the process had already begun. His bones shifted, his skin burnt, and all at once it seemed he was crouched on his hands and knees upon the floor. A moment of vertigo swept over him. His hands felt large and cumbersome next to the discarded limbs and somehow the loss of fur was more lamentable then he would have thought it could be.

And then the moment was gone. The 6'7 body he had abandoned fit him once more like a glove, deep russet skin a home he had not realized was missed. Jacob rose slowly, with all the grace of a hunter trapped within the body of a lamb, and tucked the strands of his midnight hair behind his ears.

The man gave the faintest of grateful nods.

"Who are you? How do you know my name?" the werewolf demanded.

"I know a lot of things, Jacob." The man's blue eyes almost seemed to sparkle.

Dark brown eyes narrowed in response. "That isn't an answer."

The man nodded acceptingly and shrugged, as if to say "You're right." The chairman shifted, standing more firmly than he had a moment ago, whether he realized it or not. His expression turned sharp. That was more in keeping with what Jacob had been expecting .The little smiles and pseudo-friendly greetings had not.

"I hope that you are not here to hunt at my school. That would be a rather foolish action. You're pack misses you, you're quite a long ways away from Washington." All this the chairman said with absolute calmness.

Jacob was furious. A snarl ripped past his lips before he was moving forward. He slammed the chairman back against the door, lifting him to his tiptoes by his jacket front. The action caused no reaction from the man, he didn't even blink.

"Who the hell are you? How do you know about the pack?!"

It had to be luck, pure and simple. There was no way this man could know about the Pack. No one but Bella and the Cullens knew about them and as much as Jacob would have liked to say otherwise, neither of them would ever tell a soul.

An almost pitying look flashed through the man's eyes. "Did you think you and your pack were the only ones? Did you think no one else had been charged with the same burden?"

"That's not an answer!"

"I know about the Pack because I too am a hunter," the man said softly.

For a moment Jacob was stunned. A hunter? That wasn't possible. No one had ever claimed that before, no one had ever known enough to even try. The chairman didn't smell like he was a member of any Pack. This man was utterly and unmistakably human, his scent carrying with it the unmistakable tinge of laundry detergent and second hand vampire. Jacob leaned closer, teeth barred in a snarl, intent on intimidating the man into honesty. Closer now, his nose caught a subtle undercurrent to the scent that he missed before.

Death lingered just under the scent of stale vampire, death and blood.

"What are you?" he whispered, fingers curling tighter around the jacket.

The chairman reached up and, with a strength unexpected of him, removed Jacob's hands. He stepped around the stunned werewolf fluidly. Another small, flickering smile ghosted along the corners of his lips.

"You can call me Chairman Cross. I run this school. I, too, am a hunter."

Jacob shook his head violently and snapped, "You're not a werewolf!"

A real, full blown smile appeared on Cross' face. "You're right, I'm not a wolf. But I never said I was. Do you really think werewolves are the only ones meant to protect humans?"

Jacob stayed silent. From Cross' tone it was implied that such a thought was foolish, but that was exactly what Jacob had assumed.

"There are more than just vampires that humans need protection from. The world is a much larger, much more dangerous place than people imagine it to be." Cross walked to stand before his desk, re-adjusting his scarf as he did so. Nothing about his actions indicated trouble, yet his every movement set Jacob on edge. "We hunt. Everything and anything that would threaten humanity. My organization is the last defense against the things that nightmares, _everyone's _nightmare, are made of."

The small hairs on the back of the boy's neck stood on end. The last line of defense? More than just vampires being hunted? What else was out there that was anywhere near as dangerous as a vampire? From Cross' explanations it didn't sound like he and his group went off and hunted humans, so dangerous criminals were not their targets, but what else was there?

"What's out there that humans need protection from aside from vampires?" he questioned dangerously.

Cross raised an eye brow. "I would think that was rather obvious."

"Well, it's not," he snarled.

The other brow rose to turn the man's expression almost withering. He cocked his head to the side and allowed his brows to descend to their natural position, turning his expression back to one of relative neutrality.

"Werewolves, for one thing."

It felt for a moment like someone had shoved something sharp between his shoulder blades, robbing him of breath. That thought had never even occurred to Jacob. Werewolves were there to protect people, they were guardians. They had been for as long as the Quileute tribe could remember. The thought of a group existing that actually tried, let alone managed, to hunt a wolf was just ridiculous.

And dangerous.

What if this group decided that his pack was a threat? They would never hurt anyone intentionally. The only incident where something bad had happened was when the pack leader, Sam, had accidentally hurt his wife. But she was fine now, and didn't hold it against him, despite that fact that Sam held the incident against himself. What if this mysterious group decided that wasn't good enough? What if they decided to hunt Sam down just because of one mistake? Ridiculous as it might seem, the group was still a threat to the pack. For all Jacob knew his family might already be in danger.

A low rumble of fury bubbled up from deep in his chest. "If you hurt anyone I swear I'll--"

Cross held up an appeasing hand, trying to look as unassuming as possible. "No, no! That's not what I was trying to imply. You're pack is just fine. They do a great job protecting your neck of the woods, as far as we're concerned they're an asset," he said hurriedly.

Jacob didn't know what to think. It had been months since he last had contact with the La Push pack. He had no idea how they currently were and was too far away to use the ingrained mental connection that existed between his pack members to check on any of them. At least, that's what he thought. He wasn't entirely certain, ever since he discovered Bella's intention he'd been making a concerted effort not to allow his pack members into his head. Until now he'd assumed the silence was do to distance and the pack's respect for his need for privacy, but what if he really was good enough to block them all out? At the soonest possible moment he intended to see just how long his mental reach with the pack ran, now was too uncertain a situation to try anything.

That threat aside, there was still the fact that this was a school crawling with vampires. If Cross was truly a hunter bent on protecting people he had to know the danger his students were currently in, but allowed vampires into his school anyway. Was he keeping the humans at this school as some sort of fodder for the vampires? Was this some sort of sick joke?

"Why are they here Cross?" he demanded.

"Who?" the chairman asked, blinking innocently.

Jacob bared his teeth in a snarl. "Don't play dumb! The vampires, why are they here?!"

The chairman clapped his fist into his opened palm as his mouth fell into a slight "O" of understanding. "Them! Well, they're students here so obviously they are here to expand there minds."

Jacob seethed, glaring at him for a long, tense moment. He couldn't tell if that was supposed to be a poor attempt at humor or not. When Cross didn't show any outward signs of sarcasm he was forced to assume that the man was serious. Somehow, that was almost worst.

"So you let them stay here, surrounded by normal humans. And you call yourself the last defense? You're practically gift wrapping them for those monsters!"

Cross shook his head. His lips were turned ever so slightly upwards and his eyes crinkled in something close to sympathy. "Not every vampire is a monster Jacob. Those that attend my school would never harm a human." He actually sounded like he believed what he was saying.

"You're an idiot if you really think that, and a murderer if this is all some front for what you're really doing here."

Cross sighed. Jacob got the distinct impression that he was falling short of this man's expectations. The chairman didn't look particularly amused with the werewolf's argument, and even less so with his righteous anger.

"Were the Cullens evil?" he asked quietly.

Jacob froze.

"That's not the same," the boy whispered. How did Cross know about them?

Blue eyes turned firm, like a parent reprimanding a wayward child. "It's exactly the same, Jacob. They were a family of vampires that attended a normal, human school, interacted in a normal human way, and left the normal humans alone."

"Vampires are dangerous! If you know so much you must have heard about the crazy ones, like Victoria and James and the newborns--"

Cross never let him reach his point. "The Cullens helped you to stop the rouge vampires and protected the people of Forks."

"They're dangerous!" Jacob insisted patiently, an image of Bella flashing unwanted through his mind. She was so full of life, so caring and unique, and then she met Edward Cullen, the vampire.

"A whole race cannot be held responsible for the decision of one girl. None of the vampires at this school made Bella Swan a--"

"Don't you dare talk about her! You don't even know her!" Jacob shouted venomously.

How could Cross possibly know so much about him and the people he knew? It was like that man had been present for the whole last year and a half, witnessing the chaos that erupted in the once quiet town Jacob called home.

Cross shied dramatically. "Fine, fine. That was rather out of line on my part, actually. I apologize. Be that as it may, my point still stays the same. Perhaps a pair of pants might help you understand a bit?" the chairman said suddenly, gesturing towards the large cabinet beside his desk.

Jacob blinked, disoriented by the changing in topic. The fact that he had been arguing with Cross while completely naked this whole time had not even occurred to him. It still didn't bother him now that it had been pointed out, but he could tell that Cross was not quite as comfortable with his lack of modesty.

"I'm good the way I am," he replied somewhat smugly, glad to have found something to annoy the man.

Cross nodded agreeably before saying, "I'm sure you are, and I wouldn't normally press the issue, it's just that I have a daughter. She's prone to barging into my office whenever she feels like it and if you're in here naked when she does I'm afraid she just might have a heart attack. I don't think she's quite ready for that."

Jacob began to shrug disinterestedly when Cross continued, "Plus, I'll tell you how I know so much about you if you put on pants."

The deal hung in the air for a long moment.

"You have the pants for me, because I don't."

Cross' whole face light up; He practically skipped to the cabinet beside his desk in his joy. The doors were flung open to reveal that what had looked like a cabinet was actually a wardrobe, full of at least a dozen school uniforms. Half were black, and half were white. They consisted of slacks, a suit jacket, undershirt and tie. Red bordered the jackets classically, adding a splash of sophistication. The buttons on the jackets looked horribly similar to roses.

Jacob instantly hated the uniforms.

Cross reached into the wardrobe ad extracted one of the black uniforms, holding it out to Jacob with a flourish. "You'll look so cute! So mature and dignified, the girls will love it!"

Jacob took the offered uniform, picking the pants away from the rest and letting the remainder of the outfit drop to the floor. The slightly cast fallen look Cross gave when the jacket hit the ground was rather rewarding. Still gazing sadly upon his rejected uniform, Cross took up the seat behind his desk. Without waiting for it to be offered, Jacob flopped down in the seat opposite. They exchanged withering looks ( in all honesty, Cross' was more contemplative than anything else) before getting down to business.

Cross pushed his glasses back into place and then allowed his hands to fall onto the desktop. His watery blue eyes locked on Jacob, holding him in silence.

"The hunter's organization has been monitoring the La Push pack for generations. There are records on your tribe dating back to the organization's founding. The added fact that the Cullens, a vampire family unassociated with any of the major factions, chose that area to call home made it an area of interest. Everyone, vampire, werewolf, and human alike, connected to the area, have been monitored and profiled. There's actually very little we don't know about you and your ancestors, we might even know more than you yourselves."

Jacob said nothing. The fact that this man could sit there and explain how his organization had been spying on the tribe for years was shocking. How could he be so calm about all of this? More importantly still, how had the organization managed such a feat? There was no way a stranger poking their nose into tribe business would have gone unnoticed. That meant that who ever had been reporting to this mysterious organization have to be someone within the tribe, possibly someone that Jacob knew personally. It made his skin crawl just thinking about it.

"That's how you knew I was here waiting for you, someone must have told you that I left the tribe," he muttered.

Cross gave a bit of a strained smile. "Well…not exactly. A student of mine alerted me to the fact that you were in the vicinity. I just assumed you would be here waiting for me," he admitted.

Suspicion crept up in Jacob. He had a pretty good idea who that student was bound to be, but felt the need to ask anyway.

Cross waved the question away as if it was superfluous. "That's not the issue here, the issue is whether or not you'll enroll in the school."

"…What?"

"Enroll. Become a part of this school, Jacob," the chairman said levelly. His eyes were bright with concentration, the weak blue suddenly looking much more powerful than it had before. There was no denying the fact that he was absolutely serious.

"Why would I want to do that?" Jacob asked slowly. This man, and his pension for changing the subject so abruptly, was more than a little confusing.

"This school is one of the best in the country. We don't discriminate against anyone, race and wealth are moot points. You'll get an education here that you wont get anywhere else in the world," began the chairman. He was reciting, the same way an actor would recite at a play. Even if Cross did believe the hype about his "super school", it didn't sound like he thought it was a compelling enough reason for Jacob.

"More importantly, we're in need of a new prefect."

Jacob raised a speculative eyebrow, waiting for further clarification.

Cross got the hint and continued, "The school runs smoothly because of the prefects. They keep the night class away from the day class as much as possible, in order to lesson any chance of a mishap. One of the current prefects needs to be relocated to the Moon Dorms."

For a second Jacob didn't understand what that was implying. Mood dorms? Night Class? All at once he understood. That was where they lived, how they were kept away from the humans. One of the prefects had to be transferred to the Moon Dorms? That meant one of the vampires got a little too friendly with that unlucky prefect. The boy from the woods flashed through Jacob's mind and he felt himself go cold.

Not dangerous my ass, he thought bitterly.

"It's Kiryu, isn't it. He was the prefect here," he said, voice low with sympathy. Kiryu did not look like the change had been a welcome one.

For the first time Cross looked genuinely surprised. "I wasn't aware that you knew Zero. Yes, he'll be transferring to a different dorm."

He didn't sound the least bit concerned about that. He had to know how devastated the fledgling vampire was, hiding alone out in the woods and begging random people to kill him, but the Chairman didn't show any concern. Had he not seen Zero , or Kiryu, or whatever the hell his name was? Had the fact that the kid was in agony and suicidal not made an impact on him? Jacob didn't realize he was growling until he was on his feet.

"Don't even try to recruit me to this freak show of a--"

Cross cut him off, speaking with surprising volume and strength over him. "I'm giving you the best option I can think of Jacob. You don't trust us, I can understand that, but it makes you dangerous, unpredictable. Whether I want them to or not, hunters will come for you. I don't think you realize the severity of the situation you put yourself in. You made yourself not only known to, but hostile towards, the only person that keeps the peace for this school."

"What are you implying?" the werewolf demanded. That sounded dangerously close to a threat, and he would not take a threat lying down.

Cross regarded him almost sadly, brows drawn down and lips pressed tightly together to suppress a frown. " The reason vampires have not attacked humans openly, at least not in a way that anyone who would know what to look for would be able to discern, in the last fifty years, is because of this school. The vampire you met out in the woods is one of the main reasons the territorial wars in the south were called in a stalemate rather than a blood bath of attrition. He is the reason no vampire within a hundred miles on this school would dare to touch any human at all. And he is the one that you somehow managed to anger."

Jacob growled in frustration, pacing violently before the desk. He actually had to stop and take a deep breath to calm himself. For one horrible moment he though the transformation was going to occur involuntarily, drawn on by his anger. With an effort that Jacob didn't want to have to admit to, he forced it back, dormant in the depths of his soul once more.

"Are you telling me that some vampire put a hit out on me and you want me to go to school because of it?" he hissed.

Weathered hands steepled before Cross' face before he sighed. "No, I'm telling you that people know things. Jacob, you exercised no caution at all in coming here. You were followed the whole way. The conversation you three took part in out in the wood was over heard. Anyone with half a brain that overheard is going to think you're a danger to the peace. If you leave here now, with the impression that you made, you're going to be hunted. The peace takes precedence over you."

He leaned forward, across the expanse of his large desk. There was an almost beseeching look about him now as he looked at Jacob. "Avoid that altogether. Stay here, go to school and learn something. Discover the key players in your world and have a say in your own life."

Silence rained in the office. Jacob was confused. He wasn't too proud to admit that to himself, even if he would never admit it to Cross. He didn't have a clue what to do. Staying seemed almost like a surrender and he refused to surrender to anyone, ever again. Not after what that cost him the first time. But leaving didn't seem like a particularly promising prospect now either. Not if some crazy hit man was waiting to off him out in the woods. Jacob would win, without a doubt. Unfortunately the prospect of killing a human even in self defense, didn't sit well with him.

And what did Cross mean by "the key players" in his own world? Would staying help him understand what was going on in his life?

"As a prefect you would have privileges here that other students would not, like interacting with the Night Class. You could even talk to Zero again, if you wanted to," Cross said lightly, as if he didn't think this news would somehow sway Jacob into the decision that he wanted. The old man was a surprisingly good actor.

Inexplicably, that one possibility tugged at Jacob more than anything else he'd been offered. Zero Kiryu, the vampire that cried out in the woods and begged werewolves to kill him. Zero Kiryu, the boy that starved himself in order not to hurt anyone. What could he learn from a person like that?

Again Bella invaded his mind. Beautiful, wonderful Bella, the only woman he had ever loved, and the only person he cared about that became a vampire. Would her transformation be as difficult as Zero Kiryu's? Would watching this boy go through his ordeal somehow help Jacob come to terms with Bella's choice?

"I don't care what the rules say, I'm not wearing a tie," he said decisively.

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Please review, I'd love to know what you think! Thanks


	3. Chapter 3

So, here's where things start to get interesting I think. So, I hope you all like it. Once again, thank Mirwen8 for looking over this for me. Honestly, you should see what this looked like before she did!

**Chapter #3**

It took a surprisingly short amount of time for Cross to get him moved into a dorm room. It was on the third floor of the Sun Dorm, directly opposite from the resident RA. Jacob would have wondered what Cross was trying to say with that little placement if it wasn't for the room itself. It was lavish, with a four poster bed and matching furniture set, all situated on a plush carpet that devoured the sound of each step he made. Nothing he'd had back home in La Push could compare with it in sheer comfort.

Jacob decided that he hated the room on principle, even if the bed was ridiculously comfortable. It reminded him too much of the Cullens, the blond girl in particular. What had her name been? Rose, maybe Roslin? She looked like the type to crave lavish and expensive looking things, if that shiny red sports car of hers was anything to go by.

With no roommate Jacob was free to do as he pleased, which he fully intended to utilize. Unfortunately exploring the campus in more detail would have to wait for another time; Cross had made it clear that a certain werewolf was scheduled to meet him at his office as soon as he was settled in. Jacob didn't really care what Cross wanted, but he had promised to introduce him to his daughter. That had been a selling point; the girl knew Zero Kiryu and _he _was still an interest.

"You look dashing in that uniform, Jacob. The tie would be a nice touch, of coarse," the chairman gushed as he led the boy into the room.

Now, in the light of day, the man seemed almost like a different person. There was no probing intensity in his gaze, which now looked weak and watery. He continued to praise Jacob, focusing his attention on meaningless things. His words were inflected with the same sort of mindless excitement that a child would show candy. It was a bit eerie to see the change in him.

"And this is Yuki, my daughter. She'll show you around the campus and answer any questions that you might have," he added, gesturing toward a girl standing in the center of the room before his desk.

She was small, with short brown hair that fell into wide, piercing eyes. They held Jacob, the werewolf finding himself lost in a debate over what color they actually were. Was it a rusty brown or an almost red? She smiled brightly, in an amiable way that should have put him at ease. It didn't. There was something not quite right about her, something off that Jacob couldn't put his finger on. It made the hair on the back of his neck stand on end.

"Nice to meet you, Black-san," She chirped.

The smile turning up the corners of her lips seemed absolutely genuine.

"Nice to meet you too." Jacob tried not to be thrown off by the odd use of his last name. What in the world was she calling him San for? Had Cross gotten his name wrong when he told it to her?

Yuki walked energetically towards the door, gesturing excitedly for Jacob to follow her. Everything about her hinted at her pleasure with the current situation. With one last look back at Cross, who was still grinning like a madman, the werewolf slipped out the door as well. The school had seemed large last night during his wanderings, but now, in the light of day, its true scope came into view.

There was a large lake in the center of the campus, closer to the classrooms than the dorms, which were set closer to the woods and closer to the wall that did a poor job of keeping people out. There were also stables and corrals off to the right of the classrooms and further down a large hill. The sounds of a large number of horses could be heard coming from that area.

Two dormitory compounds made up the bulk of the buildings, the Moon Dorm and the Sun Dorm. Both housed well over a hundred students. That in itself wouldn't have been all that surprising (after all, the school at home had more students in it than that) if it weren't for the fact that that meant over a hundred vampires were clustered together in one spot. Yuki didn't seem to mind in the least that she was surrounded by killers as she rambled off what this building and that building were called.

"You probably won't even have to go to the Moon Dorms, though," she assured kindly after describing the building to him.

Jacob raised an eyebrow as he looked down at her. She was so short! Reminded him of Bella.

"Why's that?"

She looked a bit surprised by the question, as if she assumed the topic had been covered already. She brushed her fine hair out of her wide eyes absently before addressing the question, "Well, it's the Night Class' dorms. Day Class students don't have to go there for anything, shouldn't go there, actually."

Jacob felt the corners of his mouth twitch upwards in a barely suppressed smirk. "Shouldn't"? That meant next to nothing to him. And to her.

"You've been there."

It wasn't a question. He could smell the leftover scent of sticky-sweet death and something else he couldn't quite name clinging to her. It was exactly the same scent as the one wafting on the breeze from the Moon Dorms. If that place was supposed to be so off limits to humans why was Yuki going there?

"Oh, well….you see, I'm a prefect. Sometimes going there is unavoidable," she said somewhat awkwardly.

Now Jacob really did grin, he couldn't help it. He stopped walking all together and turned to fix the girl with his amused gaze. Distantly, his mind registered the fact that she and Bella were about the same height.

"Didn't Cross tell you? I'm the new prefect. I'm taking over for the one that got transferred to the Moon Dorms."

For a brief moment she didn't seem to understand what that declaration meant and blinked blankly up at him. Her head tilted quizzically to the side a scant instant before realization shot its way across her face. Slim shoulders scrunched up as Yuki turned absolutely white.

That hadn't been the reaction he was expecting.

"Zero!" she hissed under her breath as she wiped around to stare at the imposing sight of the Moon Dorms. "I'm sorry, but I--"

Jacob cut the near panicked utterance short by placing a calm hand on Yuki's arm. Her eyes instantly turned back to him, but her focus was still elsewhere.

"You don't have to worry. I'll come with you, that way you'll still be doing what your father asked you to. Besides, I'm sure this Zero guy would like to talk to you too; I'll make myself scarce when you need me to."

That was a lie. He had no intention of going anywhere. He did, on the other hand, have every intention of finding the boy from the woods again. Yuki seemed to be the fastest way to manage that. He tried not to feel too guilty at the look of gratitude she gave him.

The interior of the bloodsucker's dorm looked remarkably similar to a mansion. An elegant, grand staircase climbed the height up to the second and third floor, ending scant feet from the front door and entry way. Ornate couches were arranged around a stylish coffee table off to the right, making a highly functional sitting area. Paintings hung on the wall in strategic locations, rather similar to a museum. Nothing looked comfortable, everything looked high-class.

It made Jacob's skin crawl; all to neat and too fancy.

Yuki paid the lavish elegance around her no notice at all. She threw open the front door and raced up the stairs trailing muddy footprints behind her. Jacob smirked, liking the girl more by the minute.

"Kaname-sama!" she called out loudly.

Jacob smelled him a moment before he saw him, waiting for the two visitors to the Moon Dorm at the top of the stairs. Kaname Kuran stared past the girl standing imploringly before him, his rust red eyes flat and unfriendly as they locked with Jacob's own. Even in his human form, the he could spot the wolf among the demons.

"Kaname-sama, is it true? Is Zero really going to live in the Moon Dorms from now on?" Yuki almost sobbed.

Kaname's eyes slipped away from the werewolf and instantly softened, a hint of affection flashing in their depths.

"Yes, that seems to be the case. His new room is down the hall and to the left, across from my own. He'll be comfortable there," he said silkily.

Yuki's attention instantly began to wander down the hallway. After a bit of gentle encouragement from Kaname she raced off, in search of Zero. The second she was out of sight the air turned frosty. Kaname looked after her for a beat, as if to be sure she reached her destination, before turning back to Jacob. There was a violent twist to his lips now.

"I believe I told you that I would kill you the next time I saw you," he commented easily, in a tone more suited for talk on the weather.

Jacob grinned challengingly. Kuran might be able to throw his weight around with the people here, but not with Jacob himself. Very little threw him, certainly not some pampered parasite.

"If I went near the kid from the woods," added Jacob pointedly.

Kaname's eyes narrowed fractionally. "Yes, that boy or any other student from this school. I believe you've done that."

Jacob nodded, conceding the point to the bloodsucker. He leaned against the railing of the stairs, delighting in the pinched anger around Kaname's eyes. It obviously bothered him to have a werewolf so close. A part of Jacob sourly wished he would act on that and give him a reason to rip off those cold limbs.

Kaname moved forward, his steps elegant and unnatural. He was so much like Edward Cullen that it made Jacob want to be sick. Were all vampires egotistical killing machines? Just once couldn't there be a vampire with a self esteem issue and a hunger for broccoli? The thought made Jacob smirk.

"Cross seems to think having you here will benefit the school. I'm inclined to disagree." The tone left no question as to how deep that disagreement went.

"A shame you don't get to call the shots then, huh?" countered Jacob easily, his eyes hard as stone.

Kaname smirked. Almost. His lips twitched upwards in the parody of a smile at the very least. "Werewolf, you are still breathing because I respect Cross, not because I have to listen to him."

Jacob growled, the implications of Kaname's omnipotence angering him more than any other part the of the conversation had. He moved forward, snapping out, " You aren't-"

"You're alive because I decided to let you live. My threat does not go away simply because the chairman has taken a liking to you. If you get out of line and injure anyone at this school, I will kill you." His voice dropped down to a low, feral hiss as Kaname added, " If Yuki is hurt I'll make you wish I had killed you."

Jacob felt an odd twinge deep in his chest. Yuki Cross. What was she to these people that made them all so determined to protect her? Zero Kiryu was willing to starve himself and beg a werewolf to kill him in order to keep her safe. Cross himself was willing to blackmail a dangerous stranger in order to give her protection and Kaname Kuran flat out promised death to anyone that harmed her. Why? The only other person he could think of with that level of protection around them was Bella Swan.

"I have no intention of hurting her. Killing people isn't my M.O., vampire," he said frigidly, pushing past Kaname and continuing down the hall.

He could hear Yuki's voice and the urgency in it only seemed to rise as he drew closer. She sounded hell bent on emphasizing some point, her voice making it possible to actually see the concern on her face.

"--overreact. I promise things will be all right. It's just a room change. Really, Zero, it is. This doesn't change anything."

"…Yeah." The voice that replied was soft and uncertain, more like it was responding out of habit than agreement.

Jacob peered into the open room , unprepared for what he saw. Zero Kiryu must not have heard him coming, or must not have focused on one more body in a building full of them if he had. The boy stood in the center of the room, dressed in loose cargo pants and a sweatshirt. He held the white uniform of the Night Class as far from himself as possible. He looked oddly small in the wide, empty room. Silver blond hair fell into gray eyes in such a way that his expression was largely hidden from view. Yuki probably couldn't see how upset the boy was, but Jacob could certainly smell it.

Distress had an odd tang to it.

"I see you found his room without difficulty," Kaname said softly, his eyes smiling at the girl.

Yuki cast an uncertain look between the two vampires, her fingers flitting forward to curl around Zero's wrist.

Blue gray eyes moved sluggishly down towards the small hand before they snapped to Jacob, suspicion blooming in them instantly. "Who are you?"

He's a lot more direct when he's not begging to be murdered, Jacob mused ruefully.

"I'm Jacob Black, the new prefect," he replied easily, waiting for any change in Zero's expression.

For a brief moment the vampire looked like he just might be sick, and then his eyes broke from Jacob's and he turned away. Obviously this transition was harder for him than he was letting on. Did Cross realize that Zero was a bit suicidal?

"He'll be working with Yuki from now on, so you can focus on your studies Kiryu. We are quite a bit ahead of the Day Class, after all." Kaname's comment should have been a friendly one but somehow Jacob go the feeling he was rubbing salt in the wound.

"Great," Zero snapped mulishly.

His eyes snapped back to Jacob's, drawing him in completely. The rest of the room seemed to melt away until there were only those two blue-gray moons shining out of Zero's face. How could his eyes still be that color?

"You had better treat her right."

Jacob couldn't breath. Suddenly and inexplicably he found himself enthralled with Zero Kiryu. He could here the boy's impossible heart beat in his ears, he could see the subtle shifting of muscles under that old sweater. The vampire's scent seemed to fill the room, like a perfume only stronger and so much better because there was nothing artificial about it. Zero Kiryu was, for one moment, the beginning and end of Jacob's whole world.

"I will," he mumbled softly, uncertain what had just happened and very eager to put as much distance as possible between himself and the strange vampire.

* * *

So, what just happened there? Why did Jacob have a bit of a freak out and what's Kaname's angle in all of this? We'll find out! Please R&R, it's so nice to here what you all think.


	4. Chapter 4

Here's the next chapter for you! Once again, thank you to my bata, who is amazing. I think things are going to get a bit more ...active in the next chapter, this one is a set up.

* * *

Chapter 4

Jacob was confused. More than confused, he was angry. There was a finite amount of information that he was absolutely sure about and one of those things was that a werewolf was not, under any circumstances, supposed to be attracted to a vampire's scent.

How could that even happen? How? Jacob was a werewolf, by his very nature he was meant to be an enemy to the bloodsucker. It was rather hard to justify to himself hating someone that had an effect like Zero had on him. It had been similar to the first time he saw Bella after having awoken to his werewolf abilities, like he was actually _seeing _her clearly for the first time. It was enough to take his breath away. Why was it every time he turned around Zero did something that reminded him of her? It was like he had traded one life-upending person for another.

Zero was a newly awakened vampire, struggling with his own desires and the changes that they brought. By now, Bella was bound to be in the same situation. The last he had heard from her she had quite certainly told him that her decision would not change; she would marry Edward Cullen and she would become a member of his undying family. Zero had some odd quality about him that drew Jacob, like a moth to the flame. The kid was just interesting. Bella had been the same way. From day one Jacob had not been able to forget about her and now the same thing was happening with Zero.

What all this meant in the larger picture he didn't know, and it was that uncertainty that was angering Jacob. Zero angered Jacob and the most infuriating part of all was that he was doing it with out even meaning to.

The only good thing about all of this was how easy it was to ignore Zero. He was part of the Night Class, so the few lessons Jacob decided to attend were blessedly devoid of that particular distraction. The only time he really had to interact with the other boy at all was when the two classes switched. Yuki took charge of the Day Class, shepherding them off to their dorms and away from the Night Class. She was largely successful. Only one or two of the more tenacious members of the Day Class students managed to get past her, and even then they were apprehended rather quickly.

The Night Class was different. The large majority of them ignored the normal students altogether, walking with there noses in the air and an expression of distain lingering around the corners of there eyes. They couldn't be bothered to acknowledge the normal students. Unfortunately there were exceptions to this rule. A small group seemed to enjoy riling the Day Class up, one of whom was Ichoji, who stopped to talk amiably to any Day Class student that called to him. Aido was by far the worst, eclipsing all others with his antics.

He liked to slip past the unmarked divide between the two classes and flirt shamelessly with the girls lingering there. If Edward had been alluring back home it was nothing to the effect Aido had on people, though Jacob suspected that was largely do to the fact that Edward strived _not _to interact with humans as much as possible, with only one major acceptation to the rule. Aido made it a personal mission to enamor every girl that he could, complimenting one on her hairdo, another on her perfume, and slipping a third a flower. It was a bit disgusting, and more than that, it was annoying.

The only ones that didn't bother Jacob during the class switching were, oddly enough, Kaname and Zero himself. Kaname approached the whole ordeal naturally, he never looked agitated like some of the bloodsuckers did, or overly friendly like the others. He smiled politely where it was needed, but other than that made his way to his class in a calm and orderly fashion. Zero made it a point not to make eye contact with anyone, Day or Night Class, and headed straight for his seat.

Zero looked miserable. There was just no other way to describe it. A frown was permanently plastered on his face, which was not as pale as the other Night Class students, but had taken on an unhealthy and slightly pasty look. Dark bruises had formed under his eyes, a testament to his lack of sleep. Most telling of all thought, was how completely he had cut himself off from Yuki.

Jacob found, to his surprise, that the girl was good company; she was open and friendly in a way that was almost similar to Bella. She might act bright and unassuming, but she was by no means stupid. Yuki realized right away that there was something different about Jacob, but she also made it a point not to pry. That, more than anything else, helped him come to terms with this new setup. The more time he spent with her the more it became apparent that she wasn't entirely normal either. It didn't matter, she was the one semblance of comfort he had in this backwards place.

Zero's decision not to talk to the girl was beginning to get to her. At first Yuki just laughed it of, insisting that he needed time to get acclimated to his new surroundings. After two weeks of no communication she found the whole thing slightly harder to play off as nothing. So on the third week Yuki decided to be bold and take the first step. As the Night Class made their way out of their dorms and towards their classrooms, Zero at the back, she made her move.

"Zero! How are you doing?" she called out brightly, a sunny smile lighting her face.

Zero didn't stop walking, didn't even lift his head up to acknowledge that he had been spoken to. Jacob watched as Yuki's smile fell away, replaced with a brittle parody of what it once was. She turned back to the Day Class students slowly.

"Serves her right! Who does she think she is anyway, talking to a Night Class student like she knows him!" a girl announced snidely.

Jacob recognized the voice, but not the face nor the name that went with it. The girl was less than friendly, commenting on the first day Zero made the trek with the Night Class that he looked like a fool playing dress up. Yuki hadn't heard that comment, but she definitely did hear the latest remark if her flinch was anything to go by.

Jacob frowned deeply, his eyes narrowing as he turned to glare at the unpleasant girl.

"Zero is like family to Yuki. If he didn't answer it was because he didn't hear, not because he chose to ignore her like he would with other people," another girl, Sayori Wakaba, said conversationally, her voice deceptively innocent.

The other girl looked agast. "He didn't ignore me the other day Wakaba!"

Sayori's head tipped to the side, one finger pressed lightly against her lips in contemplation. "That's good. If it did have something to do with what you said to Yuki you might have come off sounding a bit bitter."

She turned to smile brightly at Yuki, promising to meet her back at their room before walking calmly away.

Jacob laughed. He couldn't help it. Sayori, or Yori as Yuki liked to call her, was one of the most interesting people he had come across in this school. Small, skinny and blonde, with eyes so wide they put even Yuki's to shame, she looked as if one harsh word would make her dissolve into hysteria. That impression was utterly false. She had a protective and loyal streak that had made her speak out in Yuki's, and even Zero's, defense more than once since Jacob had been at the Academy. Somehow, her rebukes always took a moment to actually sink in; she had a tone that made it hard to tell if she was being insulting before the damage was already done. As far as roommates went, Yuki had a good one.

The rude girl looked torn between tears and absolute fury. The decision was made for her when someone snickered. With an indignant huff she stormed away. Yuki made it a point to look anywhere but in the snide girl's direction, or in the direction the vampires had just disappeared. Jacob spent only long enough to call his encouragement to Yuki before following after the darker students in the school.

"I'll patrol the classrooms, you do the ground," he called.

"O-kay!"

This had gone on long enough. As much as he would have preferred to stay far away from the vampire, intervention was definitely in order now. Jacob refused to acknowledge that the miserable air around Zero had anything to do with his decision. As far as he was concerned it was Yuki's happiness that was of primary importance here.

No one wandered the halls, all the Night Class students were too preoccupied with there studies to go traipsing about. That was the way it should be, nothing annoyed Jacob more than having to chase after Aido and his cousin. It was always, without exception, Aido that needed chasing. Why his cousin got wrapped up in the immature jaunts about the school was a mystery. The only real perk that those times offered was a legitimate excuse to harass the blond haired pest. Jacob never would have imagined, judging solely off the Cullens, that a vampire could be so wholly immature.

Without any specific student to hunt down Jacob was forced to wander up and down the halls in order to stave off mind numbing boredom. With every pass of the classroom that Zero was in, he would stop and peer inside to be sure that the boy was still there, at the back of the room by himself. On the fifth pass in less than twenty minutes Jacob didn't bother to slow down as he glanced into the room. As a result it took a good long minute for his brain to catch up to what his eyes had seen; Zero was no longer in the room. With a slight curse of surprise Jacob darted back to the doorway, glancing inside to search for the missing student. He was still gone.

Where did he disappear to? How long had he been absent?

This was the opportunity that Jacob had been waiting for; a chance to corner the vampire and confront him about his attitude towards Yuki. Finding him would be simple enough. Zero's scent was all over the school grounds, but one trail was fresher than the others. With a renewed purpose, the werewolf set off down the hall at a fast pace. The trail he followed led him away from the buildings and out onto the grounds. They were quiet, the sound of night animals the only thing breaking the silence. There was a dampness heavy in the air that hinted at rain in the near future. He wondered vaguely how the school would smell then. Would the rain wash away the stench of death that the vampires left on the place?

He found Zero in the stables, in the stall of a large white mare. The animal's ears flicked back bad temperedly when Jacob stepped through the doorway and into the shelter inside the building. Zero had to have heard him come in, but he chose to ignore the invasion. Instead he brushed the horse's coat methodically.

"This doesn't look like a lecture hall to me," Jacob commented casually. He walked forward and plucked a strand of straw up off the sizable pile beside the stall.

Zero didn't respond.

"I only bring it up because, last I checked, you're supposed to be in one."

The hand directing the brush froze and the skin around blue-gray eyes tightened with annoyance.

"I didn't feel like being there," he said simply, as if that explained why he had made Jacob scour the school looking for him.

"What a coincidence! I don't want to be _here_!" he countered, gesturing around the stables.

"Then go away."

"Go back to class."

"No."

"Then I'll stay and keep you company."

An awkward, pregnant stillness filled the space after that declaration, broken only by the insistent naying of the mare. It didn't seem to like Jacob, and the more he annoyed Zero the more it pawed angrily at the ground with it's hoof. Some part of Jacob found that rather amusing. The horse liked the vampire, the creature it should fear instinctively and avoid, and instead was hostile towards the werewolf. Would wonder never cease?

Zero carried on as if Jacob wasn't there at all. As soon as the mare's coat had been properly tended to he moved on to the mane and tail. Each task was undertaken with a single-minded determination to drown everything else out. If Zero only focused on that annoying knot then maybe the equally annoying prefect would go away.

That was completely and utterly wrong, but Jacob couldn't blame Zero for trying.

"So, how are you liking your new nocturnal schedule?" Jacob honestly tried not to sound too teasing.

There was no response.

"How's that blood tasting, huh? Bet it gives a whole new meaning to the term 'bloody Mary'."

That got a reaction. Zero's hand closed around the metal comb he was using so tightly that it actually bent. He turned to glare venomously at Jacob. The ruined tool was thrown to the ground, eliciting a startled nay from the mare that was universally ignored. He leaned over the stall door, his fingers digging into the wood hard enough to splinter little crescent shaped groves into it.

"You have no idea what you're talking about, so just leave me alone," he hissed.

Touchy subject, Jacob mussed. He tried very hard to ignore the part of his mind that said teasing a quite possibly suicidal boy about something that made him so uncomfortable was not a very good idea. After the shocking reaction Zero had somehow gotten out of him the last time the two had spoken Jacob felt annoying him was utterly justified. Immature, maybe, but justified nonetheless.

"I think I have a pretty good idea," he countered arrogantly.

Zero's eyes narrowed to feral little slits and Jacob felt himself tense automatically. Wether he found the crazy little newborn fascinating or not wouldn't stop him from kicking Zero's ass if it came to that. Some part of him wished it would. He had never had an opportunity to take out any of his aggressions on the Cullens and only Cross stood in the way of doing what ever he wanted here.

The old man really wasn't that much of a deterent.

With that in mind Jacob flashed Zero a cocky, unimpressed look, fully intending on provoking him. That might not have been his intention when he set out to find the other boy, but it certainly was now.

"I know enough vampires to realize that they're all predictable," he said cruelly.

Something in those blue-gray eyes sparked to life in absolute panic. For the briefest of heart beats Zero seemed to completely agree with the werewolf. And then the look was gone, mulish anger taking its place. That brief look had been enough. The little voice in the back of Jacob's mind, that incidentally sounded an awful lot like Bella, berated him for his carelessness. Their first meeting should have been enough of a hint that Zero was not his own biggest fan. The guy was terrified of his own impulses and rubbing that insecurity in his face was just uncalled for.

"Predictable, every single one of them, but not evil," Jacob amended, keeping his voice light and unaffected. He didn't want Zero to think he as feeling guilty over anything.

A pair of large eyes blinked suspiciously at him. "Who are you? Why did Cross make you a prefect?"

That was a tricky question. Somehow, Jacob was willing to bet that the truth would do him no favors here. After all, 'I'm the wolf that almost ate you' seemed more like a conversation ender then a conversation starter.

Zero waited expectantly, eyes still narrowed in distrust, as he exited the stall. The mare gave a forlorn nay after him.

"I'm … a sort of hunter, I suppose," he finally settled on. It wasn't a lie; it just wasn't particularly honest either. Zero was sure to think of that organization Cross mentioned, not the pack back at La Push.

"You are?" There was disbelief and surprise in Zero's voice, but also a kernel of respect.

Zero nodded. He stepped forward, purposefully invading the shorter boy's personal space. Zero didn't respond in any visible way, but discomfort rolled off of him in waves.

"I know what I'm talking about here. Not all vampires are evil. Some are pretty decent over all. From what I've seen of you, you're one of the more decent kinds," he said seriously, set on making this one fact understood.

Zero didn't break eye contact, didn't even shift. "I don't think so."

"Then you're a bit stupid, aren't you?"

"Fuck off."

"Bite me."

Zero growled angrily before turning on his heel and stomping away. He kicked at the pile of hay, snatching up the grooming tools and throwing them angrily into an old bucket. His frustration was palpable in a way that made Jacob feel guiltier than he would have liked to admit.

He just wasn't good at controlling his mouth. The same problem had presented itself back with Bella, every time something idiotic could have come out of his mouth it did. Hell, he'd threatened to let vampires kill him once just to make her feel bad. That particular memory held no appeal for him, in fact, Jacob would have liked to pretend it never happened. He couldn't help but think this conversation with Zero had deteriorated in a similarly unhelpful way. He hadn't come to the stables to harass him, he'd come to help Yuki.

A change in topic was definitely in order.

"So, you used to be a prefect too, right?"

Zero practically crushed the little metal hoof-pick before nodding. He didn't bother to actually look at Jacob as he did so.

"So then you must know Yuki."

Now Zero flinched as if he'd been hit. He nodded again before grumbling, "Obviously."

"You two were the prefects from the start of school up until now?"

"What does it matter?"

Jacob ignored that comment as if it hadn't been made. He walked around Zero's kneeling form, watching those blue-gray eyes follow him in challenge.

"It doesn't really. I was just surprised that you would blow off a friend that you've known as long as Yuki," Jacob said simply.

Zero stood slowly, tack bucket in hand. The challenge and the anger still shone from his eyes, but now sadness had crept in them as well. "You wouldn't understand," he sad quietly before turning away, to put his bucket away.

"I'm not the one that needs to understand. Yuki is."

Jacob could have sworn that Zero was going to say something in response but he never got the chance. Their solitude was intruded upon at that moment by Aido and his cousin, Kain. While Aido was small and lean, Kain was defined and tall. He had an air of calm about him that led to many a failed peace keeping attempts. Jacob actually saw him try to talk Zero and a rather posh long haired female vampire out of fighting with each other. The long haired vampire had slapped him so hard that her hand had been imprinted on his face for hours.

What they were doing here now, when they should have been in class was a mystery, but at least it was a mystery that Jacob could do something about.

"You two should be in class," he said pointedly.

Aido's eyes narrowed and his lips twisted down in dislike. "So should Kiryu-kun."

Kain placed a hand on his cousin's shoulder before stepping forward into the room and closer to Jacob and Zero, who was studiously ignoring them all.

"We came to get Kiryu-kin. We didn't want him to get into trouble so soon after transferring." The vampires voice was deep and even, perfect for calming hot heads.

Jacob raised an eyebrow. That was a bit more helpful than he would have expected them to be. Zero snorted in disbelief, causing Aido to glare at him.

"Just come back to class, alright? Ruka will shut up, she's being ridiculous anyway."

Kain nodded in sage agreement.

"Everyone's going back to class, so it doesn't matter if he wants to or not. Move out people!" Jacob commanded.

Aido looked slightly disgusted as he and the other vampires were herded out of the stalls and back to the classrooms. Zero ignored Jacob altogether, walking a little ways in front and to the side of the others. Kain just gazed up at the moon, as if he would rather be there than at the Academy.

The night was uneventful after that. Zero and his two self-appointed babysitters managed to find their way to their next class, and the others in the Night Class were deterred by Aido's outraged shouts at Jacob's promise to give him a detention if he ditched out of a class again.

By the time it was necessary to lead the Night Class back to their dorms Jacob was more than ready to go to bed. He was surprisingly tired and a headache throbbed between his eyes. When was the last time he'd had a headache? He couldn't even remember. Maybe before his transformation?

Yuki stood guard by the entrance to the Moon Dorms while Jacob stood sentry outside the classroom. He watched as Yuki looked anywhere but at Zero, her smile so bright and cheerful that it could only be fake. Kaname greeted her affectionately as he passed, Ichoji chirping his own well wishes at her also.

"You look like an airhead smiling like that. Someone's going to think that they can take advantage of you," a voice mumbled stiffly.

Jacob blinked in surprise, the action mirrored by Yuki herself as she stared up at Zero. He had his hands shoved into his pockets and an almost guilty look on his face. There was an actual blush hinted at on his cheeks.

Yuki's whole face lit up with joy. She smacked her hand good-naturedly against his arm before laughing, "No they won't. I have you to scare them away!"

Zero shook his head in exasperation, smiling as well now. They spoke for several more minutes, and by the time they parted ways it was as if there had never been a disconnect between them. The two seemed to understand each other in a way that Jacob had not expected to see. The smile on Yuki's face, and the easy way Zero walked made the night seem just a bit more worthwhile.

* * *

Well, there you have it. Reviews would be loved! The next chapter will be out soon (midterms are eating my life up at the moment)


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Jacob had no idea what was going on. That wasn't necessarily a problem, it was just unusual. Most of the time he had at least some inkling of a purpose. Before, all his efforts had focused on Bella; get her to fall in love, get her to leave Edward Cullen, get her to be happy. How those things were managed weren't particularly important. Now though, now he had no grand plan, no greater purpose to strive for. The only thing he did have was a growing fondness for Yuki and Zero.

There had been definite improvements in regards to Zero's personality. He no longer walked the line between the Moon Dorms and the class rooms with his head bowed, trying desperately not to catch anyone's eye. Now he made a point of stopping to acknowledge Yuki at least once on each passing. Yuki, for her part, was thrilled with this change in attitude, but it didn't really surprise Jacob. Much of Yuki's clothing had lingering traces of Zero's scent on them, and that would only happen if the two spent substantial amounts of time together. There was no doubt in his mind that before the transfer Zero and Yuki had been nearly inseparable.

What was surprising though, was that Zero began to acknowledge him as well. The newly turned vampire never actually stopped to talk to Jacob the way that he did with Yuki, but he also never failed to give at least an acknowledging nod of the head. Much as he would hate to admit such a thing out loud, this pleased Jacob greatly. He still couldn't figure out exactly why, but he was certain that Zero was worth getting to know. There was just some odd, intriguing pull about him that drew people in.

Jacob wasn't the only one feeling the effects of this pull either, he was sure. Kain and Aido had taken to following Zero like shadows. Their official excuse was that Kaname had ordered them to do as much. That was true, to an extent, but Jacob had seen the way the cousins interacted with Zero. Aido was no less whiney and spoiled in his argumentativeness, and Kain was no less distant and distracted by life, but they were both quick to come to Zero's aid when he needed it, whether he asked for it or not. Jacob wasn't sure the cousins were even aware of the fact that they were acting like blood-sucking mother hens.

Their first real show of protectiveness occurred on the slow trek back from class rooms to the Moon Dorms. A vampire outside of what Jacob was beginning to recognize as Kaname's inner circle blocked Zero's path. He was tall and thick in every aspect of the word, with a more rugged sort of beauty than the refined one Jacob was more accustomed to seeing from his kind. The bloodsucker's face contorted in dislike in such a way that what appeal there might have been in his face vanished. Zero raised an eyebrow speculatively before moving to step around the obstacle in his path. A tree trunk sized arm shot out to force him back.

"I don't like you," the vampire hissed coldly.

Zero's eyes narrowed. "It's mutual."

This was not the response the vampire had been wanting. His face darkened still further and he pushed Zero back another step. "I don't know what you're playing at, you little usurper. I don't care if Kaname _does _want to keep you around as some sort of pet; you're nothing but a--" he began loudly.

Jacob growled low in his throat. This little scene was going to end, now. Aido and Kain beat him to the punch. They stepped up behind Zero, furious and annoyed respectively, to glare at the loud vampire.

"Is there a problem here?" Kain asked coldly.

The vampire in question glanced between the two cousins before his lip curled back in a sneer and he stomped away. For a long moment the little group of three didn't move, then Aido stuck his tongue out at the retreating back and made a rude hand gesture that had Jacob snickering slightly.

"What did you do, Kiryu?" asked Aido hotly.

Zero looked positively indignant. "I didn't do anything!"

Aido rolled his eyes before turning his nose up and heading back toward the Moon Dorms. As he walked he berated the foolish vampire that had dared to go against an express order from Kaname and the almost as foolish "ex-human" that tried to pick fights with people. Zero followed after him, cursing and calling Aido ever foul name he could image under his breath. Jacob watched them go with an amused grim tugging up his lips. Kain took a moment before following to lock eyes with the werewolf and nod. "We have things under control" that nod said.

Jacob didn't doubt it.

Now that his nightly duties were over he had a good four hours before his daytime classes were supposed to start. Jacob had no intention of going to those classes, but it was necessary to keep track of when they were. What that time frame actually translated to was two free hours guaranteed to himself before Day Class students started stirring. He intended to use that gifted time to the best of his ability.

It was time to try to contact his pack. Each morning since the day of his arrival Jacob had been trying o reach Sam, or Quil, or any of the other pack members. Hell, he'd even settle for Leah, the only nasty woman in the pack. So far he hadn't managed to get more than an echoed whisper along the edges of his mind that hinted at their presence. It eased his nerves to know that they were still there, but he was too far away to use the mental connection his transformation afforded him to any functional degree. He knew the pack was there, and they knew he was there, but they couldn't actually converse; too much distance lay between their respective minds.

The first night it became apparent that his connection was not going to offer him any solid information Jacob called home. The phone rang three times before his father, Billy Black, answered. His voice had been as gruff and oddly calming as always, and for that Jacob was grateful.

He hung up without saying a word. Shame made it too hard to speak.

He never said good-bye to Billy. If nothing else his father deserved that. Crippled not too long before Bella had arrived and upended life in Forks forever, Billy had grown to rely on Jacob. He by no means actually needed help to function, quite the opposite actually, the father and son had formed and odd sort of camaraderie out of their day to day lives. Jacob hadn't understood his father's belief in the superstitious (until now, seeing them come to life tended to do that to a person), and Billy didn't understand his son's draw towards recklessness. That didn't really matter much in the end; they were a team down on La Push. Jacob had destroyed that when he left.

The pack was safe, that was what mattered. Someday he might go back, but not anytime soon. There was too much hurt back there for it to feel like it was home anymore. Here, seated cross-legged on the damp grass underneath a large willow tree's weeping branches, felt more like home than La Push.

"You look like you're going to be sick," a voice said evenly.

Jacob's eyes snapped open to find a pair of blue-gray orbs staring down at him. Zero stood just within the wispy branches of the willow, in the soft shade hidden underneath. How long had he been there? Jacob hadn't heard him coming, hadn't even smelt him coming. Despite the fact that Zero's scent was no longer reeking havoc on his nose like it had that day in the Moon Dorms it was still very distinct. How had he managed to miss it?

"Shouldn't you be in your dorm?" Jacob asked, ignoring the other's comment entirely.

Zero shrugged before sitting down a few feet away. The dark circles under his eyes were less noticeable, but still very clearly there. He blinked, an almost red flickering across his gaze for just a moment before it was gone. Overall he looked better, more at ease with his current situation, even if he still wasn't particularly pleased with it.

"Seriously, why aren't you in the Moon Dorms?"

"Because it's too clean in there. It bothers me," said Zero sullenly.

Jacob laughed out loud, his lips twisting up into a roguish grin. "You think so too? I just wanted to knock shit off the shelves the last time I was in there. At least then the place would have some character."

Zero's eyes flickered to Jacob, a conspiring amusement flickering in them. It was the first time Jacob had ever seen him come anywhere close to a smile. "Yuki came to visit the other night and got mud everywhere. Ruka nearly had a heart attack."

Shaking his head in enjoyment, Jacob stretched his arms over his head. It was beginning to hurt a bit; it had been a long night and an even longer morning trying to get in touch with his pack. After spending so much time around vampires his senses were starting to get a bit fried. A nice long nap was in order.

"Right. I'm going to crash. You really should go back to your dorm though. The girls might just have a conniption if they find a member of the Night Class up and about."

Zero said nothing, his head tilted to the side as he considered something. It was a bit of an unnerving stare, almost like he was trying to see right inside Jacob's head. The werewolf's mind flickered to Cross, who both advised and promised to keep his true nature a secret from the rest of the school. Zero had no idea he was looking at the wolf he asked to kill him and Jacob intended to keep it that way.

"You're a bit of an odd person, especially for a hunter," he said quietly.

Jacob grinned. "I try to keep things interesting. Don't forget to get back to the Moon Dorms before the Day Class comes out," he called back as he stepped out of the tree's shade.

After such a long day and night all Jacob wanted to do was curl up in bed. As much as he hated his room and all its grandeur he did love the bed. It was like sleeping on a large, fluffy cloud. He would never admit to that out loud, but privately he could enjoy it all he wanted.

He kicked his shoes off sluggishly and stumbled his way across the room. Like always, there was barely any discernible sound from his footsteps. Distantly, as he settled himself in the center of the bed, he noted how much of a nuisance that carpet was. It was too good at swallowing up sound.

Jacob had no idea how long he actually managed to sleep. The ach in his head turned into a pounding that he only realized was intensified by the knocking at his door after some time. Grumbling nastily under his breath, Jacob climbed out of bed and threw open the door with a resounding, "What!?"

Yuki gave a small squeak her hand raised to give his door another knock. She stammered an embarrassed apology, her cheeks stained a deep pink. Jacob felt a bit sorry for shouting now he knew who had been knocking, but only a bit. It was still early after all.

"I-I'm sorry. I didn't think you'd still be asleep, class started two hours ago," she said awkwardly.

Allowing his fatigue to draw him sideways, Jacob leaned against the doorframe. He ran a hand sluggishly through his long, tangled hair. "Don't worry about it. What's up?"

"The chairman asked to see you. He's in his office," Yuki said, slightly less chagrined.

Jacob nodded, realized he would have to put back on that ridiculous uniform, and groaned. Yuki gave a sympathetic little smile before stepping away from his door.

"I'll let you get dressed then. See you in class."

Jacob shouted a good-bye to her from inside his room as he struggled to pull back on his pants. It amused him that Yuki would know to come looking for him here rather than at the class he should have been at. He had a feeling prefects skipping class wasn't a habit he had started.

Once he was dressed again Jacob made the trek over to the chairman's office. It wasn't cold outside and he had no intention of going to class, so he left his jacket on the floor where he had thrown it earlier. It was a slow trek; there was no need to rush things. Cross was an odd man and the less time spent within his company the better.

Cross was at his window when Jacob entered the room. He didn't bother to knock. "You needed something?" he said instead, but way of greeting.

The chairman turned away from the window. For just a moment his face was clouded, his eyes turned on something inward, rather than before him. One blink and the expression was gone, replaced with a near manic grin. The man stepped forward energetically, gesturing for Jacob to take the chair before the desk. Jacob chose to sit on top of the desk instead.

"How are you liking things here at the Academy?" he asked brightly.

Jacob raised an eyebrow. He got pulled out of bed for a question like that?

"Things are fine, I guess," he said uncertainly.

Cross' smile turned almost, but not quite, sly when he heard the note of hesitation in the reply. He took up the seat offered to Jacob and nodded brightly. "That's excellent. It's very important to feel comfortable in a new environment. You've been here almost three weeks now and it looks like you're becoming acclimated to things here rather well."

Jacob nodded slowly. Why was Cross even bothering with this talk? They both knew that Jacob was only here to avoid any unnecessary bloodshed, and maybe to observe the inner-workings of a human turned vampire. If Cross hadn't already guessed at the second one Jacob wasn't going to tell him.

"Don't forget friends! They're very important too. You should do your best to meet new people, expand your social horizons. And if you have any questions about the school or your prefect duties, I like to call them "guardian duties", Yuki and Zero will be more than happy to fill you in," the chairman continued as he patted Jacob's knee paternally.

Jacob subtly shifted away. Cross didn't notice.

"Don't forget to pay attention to the important things in life, Jacob. Friends are very important, old and new. They give you balance."

Jacob tried unsuccessfully to stifle a yawn. There was no point to this conversation. Time wasted here could be better spent sleeping. That annoying headache was gone, but it had just been another in a series of annoying head pains in the last few weeks. Jacob didn't normally get headaches, thanks to his werewolf nature. The only reason to be getting them now would be the lack of sleep, what with these odd hours Cross' school "guardians" had to keep. The least the man could to would be to let him get some shut eye.

"Off to class with you now! Good attendance is important too!" the chairman chirped, popping out of his seat. He ushered Jacob towards the door, that bright smile still in place. "Be sure to get your jacket before you go to class. Remember; it's all about balance. Without that no one can function, doesn't matter who you are. People cling to each other in order to find balance."

It wasn't until Jacob was back in his nice, comfortable bed that the sheer oddity of that conversation hit him. Somehow he didn't think Cross was only talking about getting acclimated to the Academy.

* * *

Some foreshadowing in there fore you, I hope you got that it was there. I tryed to make it a bit subtle Pleas R&R!


	6. Chapter 6

So, this is probably the fastest turnaround time I'll ever be able to manage. Thank my bata-reader for making me get it out so much faster then normal. The action finally starts in this chapter, but there are a few things that I'm a bit nervous about. I hope the action sequences turned out well (they never sound quite right to me) and I hope that part that is supposed to be creepy is. Sorry for the long note, now on with the show!

p.s:I love you guys for reviewing! You're all awesome

Chapter 6

Zero's eyes were glazed, his head resting in his open palm. Despite the fact that he nodded at all the right intervals and "hummed" when it was appropriate there was no doubt in Jacob's mind that the vampire had checked out on a mental holiday. Yuki didn't seem to notice. She continued to explain, at great length, all the amusing anecdotal worthy things she and Jacob had been up to in the last few days. Her reasoning was that Zero needed to know what they did during the day so that he would always feel included. Jacob wouldn't dispute the issue with her, agreeing entirely with what she was trying to do.

Most days Zero appreciated it, even if he didn't come right out and say it. A camaraderie had formed between the three of them that Jacob was quite content with. Aido and Kane watched over Zero when Yuki and Jacob could not, and Zero took every opportunity to interact with Jacob and Yuki.

At one point Yuki voiced her observations on the unusual friendship, surprising Jacob with her insight. "I grew up with Zero. He's always needed someone to watch over him. He can handle himself in a confrontation, but he tends to punish himself for things that he has no control over. I always felt like what he needed most was a good friend to confide in."

Jacob grinned toothily at her as he leaned against the Moon Dorm's gate. "Good thing he had you then."

Yuki shook her head. "No. I was his sister, his family; he lived with the chairman and me after all. What he needed was someone that didn't already know all there was to know about him." A very small and almost shy smile curled up her heart shaped lips as she added, "He needed someone like you."

Jacob was surprised to learn that Zero and Yuki had lived together for the past four years. When he questioned her on why that was all she would say was, "it's Zero's story to tell." He could accept that; he had no intention of telling either of them about La Push or Forks or anything that he did before the Academy. The more time he spent away from home the more he realized that things had gone terribly wrong back home. The girl he loved was marrying a vampire and was willingly going to die for him. Things didn't get much worse than that. The added fact that his own foolishness had almost made Bella hate him just made things harder. Here Jacob had a fresh start. He couldn't feel guilty about Zero, he hadn't known him before the change had taken place, and he didn't have to worry about Yuki because she had no intention of becoming bloodsucker. Things at the Academy were totally uncomplicated and for once Jacob was happy with that.

"Yuki, I think he's falling asleep," he commented amusedly, drawn from his musings by Zero's soft snores.

Yuki blinked, pausing in her tale to watch her friend. They were situated around a small table in the Chairman's apartment. The official reason for this was so that Zero could help Yuki with her Algebra 2 in between the time the Night Class retired and the Day Class rose. The unofficial reason for this was so that the three could have a conversation without any nosey vampires around. This arrangement was fine with Jacob most of the time; he didn't go to classes very often (couldn't even remember what classes Cross had signed him up for) so he simply slept during the first few periods of the day. Yuki and Zero were another story. More often than not she fell asleep during her classes and he fell asleep during their conversations. Jacob normally ended up with a comatose vampire and a zombie prefect by the time the sun was up.

Yuki pushed a strand of her short hair out of her face before smiling. There was quite a bit of fondness in that look as she watched Zero. For just a moment Jacob seriously considered making up an excuse and giving her some privacy with her dozing companion, but that moment was spectacularly ruined. Zero, who's chin had been resting in his open palm, slipped forward, well and truly asleep, and his head fell forward to smack loudly into the table. His whole body twitched in surprise as he sat bolt upright in his chair, momentum almost knocking that over as well. Jacob grabbed the seat to steady it, took one look at the dazed and slightly alarmed expression on Zero's face and promptly dissolved in to uproarious laughter. Zero blinked, a flash of red dancing across his eyes.

"Are you ok?" Yuki asked concernedly, slipping out of her chair and moving around the table to Zero's side.

"I'm fine," he replied somewhat sullenly, glairing at Jacob.

Wiping tears of amusement from his eyes, Jacob straightened up. "Alright boys and girls, I think that's a sign that you two need to sleep."

Zero nodded his agreement before pushing back from the table. Yuki walked him to the door, Jacob at their heals. He smirked when he saw her hand linger on his arm a tad longer than was strictly necessary. Yuki could say what ever she wanted about her "sisterly" feelings for Zero, that didn't mean that they were true. Jacob gave it a month, maybe two, before one of them realized that it was more than just friendship that held them together.

"Good night…morning? Whatever, I'll see you guys again in a few hours," Jacob called as the three split ways outside the chairman's house, Zero to the Moon Dorms, Yuki to her room and Jacob to his own.

He slipped soundlessly into bed, creating a small burrow in the single sheet that he still used. Ever since his transformation his body was constantly warm. Very rarely did he feel cold. As he drifted off to sleep the last thought to flicker through his mind was how pleasant the day had been overall. No Night Class students to restrain, no Day Class students to deter. With Yuki and Zero as companions Jacob had finally found a measure of peace.

_He was running. His claws on his large paws clinking against the polished floor of Cross Academy as he raced. There was something wrong, something lending a note of urgency and purpose to his racing. As he turned a sharp corner he dug his claws into the ground in order to stop himself from slipping. He had to find someone, it was important, so important._

_The corner led him to a garden. There was no garden inside any of the buildings in Cross Academy, but that wasn't important. Blood covered the green of the foliage, turning the area into a grim parody of yuletide decorations. And it was cold. He was never cold, but right now shivers were racing through him. A body was crumpled in the center of the small garden, tiny blue-gray flowers circling it. That body was the source of the blood, and somehow he knew it was who he'd been looking for._

_The urgency was still coursing through him, still making his heart pound in his ears, but now there was caution there as well. Part of him didn't want to see the body, but the other part had him creeping forward anyway. The body wasn't just a body, the body was __**Zero**__. He was staring blankly at the blue-gray flowers, his eyes covered in the film of death._

_"He's only the first," someone whispered, the voice echoing through the leaves._

_He drew back, horrified, only to see another body, and another, and another. Bella, Yuki, Aido, his father, all of them, all dead. As he drew back, tail between his legs, the cold grew worse. One by one the bodies began to stir. They turned their sightless eyes on him and slowly began crawling forward, their broke limbs twisted and trailing more blood._

_"You didn't protect us," they chanted._

_The Bella that was not Bella, that could not be Bella, reached out for him. Her fingers brushed his fur, leaving a trail of blood behind them. She held herself close, head lolling to the side so that she could whisper softly into his ear, "You didn't protect us, and now no one is left to protect you."_

Jacob jerked in to wakefulness with a snap. Adrenaline pumped through his veins as he fought to get his pounding heart under control again. His eyes darted around the room, taking in the light and the posh furniture, and especially the lack of blood. He was still in his room. It had been a dream, an awful dream, but a dream none the less.

Jacob cursed, closing his eyes and running a shaking hand through his sweat dampened hair. What was that about? With a shudder he slipped out of bed. Sleep was suddenly the furthest thing from his mind. Never, as far as he could remember, had Jacob ever had a dream quite like that.

He dressed hurriedly, his hands shaking slightly as he tried to button up his shirt. Bella's blood stained fingers brushing across his fur flashed through his mind and he tried hard to not to shudder. It was still much to early to stand guard for class switches, but if he didn't go do something that dream would stay with him for the rest of the day. In sheer desperation Jacob grabbed his jacket and headed off to class.

The teacher seemed generally surprised to see Jacob when he entered the room. Yuki was sitting far back in one of the bleacher-like seats. He walked across the front of the room, up the side aisle and pushed his way past the boy sitting at the end of the row. Yuki's roommate made a small sound of interest as he sat down.

"Jacob why are you here?" Yuki asked, a note of concern in her voice as she twisted in her seat to face him.

"Not tired anymore. What class is this?" he said.

Yori laughed. "It's math."

Jacob gave a grunt of understanding. The teacher spent another moment staring wonderingly up at Jacob before turning back to the black board to continue his lecture. Jacob lasted all but five minutes before he started fiddling in his seat. By the time class was over he had both Yuki and Yori trying futilely to stifle their laughter as he made sarcastic comments about the lecture. The teacher glowered at him on their way out.

"It's a good thing you don't show up to class more often, I'd be failing Algebra even worse!" laughed Yuki good naturedly.

Jacob flashed her a bright grin, all thoughts of bad dreams gone. He flung one arm around her shoulders, and the other around Yori's, pulling them both in to an awkward hug. Both girls were so short that he had to bend almost all the way over to manage it. Yuki blushed slightly while Yori raised a speculative eyebrow.

"You know that you guys enjoyed that class" he teased.

Yori nodded with a calm admission of, "I did. That class is always so slow. It comes with being the last one of the day I suppose."

Jacob removed his arms from around them both before stretching them up over his head. A slight yawn made it's way past his lips.

"Last class. Right. That means we have about a half an hour before prefect duties start."

"That's right. Oh! I need to see the chairman. I forgot to tell him that Zero will be coming over again tonight!" cried Yuki, both chagrinned over her lapse in memory and pleased with her evening plans.

With an energetic wave she dashed off down the hallway, promising to meet Jacob outside the Moon Dorms later. He watched her go with a smile. Yori politely excused herself before heading back to her dorm. Jacob took the time he had before his prefect duties to simply relax. He lounged along the path between the dorms and the classrooms, content to think of nothing at all.

Yuki arrived with barely a moment to spare before the switch occurred. The over-eager Day Class students lined the path, chatting excitedly to each other as the vampires filed out. Aido and Kane were at the back of the group, without their normal companions. That was a bit odd, Zero normally never came late. Yuki noted his absence as well, her lips turned down in a slight frown.

"Where's Zero?" Jacob asked Kane as he walked past.

The taller vampire posed long enough to shrug.

"Kaname needed to talk to him. I assume they're still in the dorms."

Jacob nodded. He waited until the last of the Night Class had disappeared inside the classrooms before catching Yuki's hand up in his own. She looked quizzically up at him, poised to follow the vampires.

"Zero's back at the dorms with Kaname. What do you say we go and get him?" he asked brightly.

Yuki hesitated for a moment before grinning along with him. Together they walked to the Moon Dorm, laughing at the surprise they expected Zero to feel. It wasn't often he got escorted to class by two prefects after all.

The front door was unlocked. That in itself wasn't unusual. The dead silence in the elegant dorm wasn't either. Nothing immediately aroused there suspicion.

A loud thud, followed immediately by the sound of shattering glass came from above them. Both froze, dark eyes meeting in a look of silent surprise. A second, louder thud followed the first. Jacob took off up the stairs like a shot, his nose burning with the scent that second thud brought.

Blood.

Images of Zero's broken body from the nightmare flashed through his mind.

There was no way Kaname would actually hurt Zero, right? Not when he was the one that threatened Jacob for going near him. Try as he might to convince himself of that the smell of blood grew stronger the closer he drew to Zero's room. The door was already ajar, and it was slammed against the wall as Jacob threw it all the way open.

He froze in the doorway, too shocked to react. He heard Yuki, short of breath from running, come to a stop beside him, but that barely registered compared to the scene before him.

Zero was pressed up against the wall, the plaster cracking where his shoulder and his head had hit. Kaname's right hand dug in to his upper arm, pinning it uselessly against the chipped wall, his left hand found its way into Zero's hair. He used that hold to twist Zero's head to the side, exposing his neck, or it would have been exposed if the vampire didn't have his teeth sunk into it. Kaname had his head turned away from the doorway, but his throat was still visible. His Adams apple bobbing as he drank deeply. Zero made a sound of protest, trying with his free hand to push the other vampire away, but it was pressed between there bodies and so was of little use.

"What --" Yuki squeaked.

Jacob snapped.

The transformation occurred before he had any conscious thought of wanting it to. All he knew was that he wanted to get Kaname as far way from Zero as he could. He cloths burst, ripped into shreds by the force of his small human body warping into the much larger werewolf form, but he didn't notice it. The transformation was too sudden, too complete, he'd reached the object of his fury long after it had finished.

Kaname reacted instantly. With speed and precision he spun to face the threat, throwing Zero across the room. The younger vampire hit the center of his large mattress with enough force to bounce and fall over the side of the bed to land on the floor with a clatter. Jacob snarled, his jaw snapping shut so close to Kaname's face that he could feel the heat radiating from the other's body.

The vampire spun away from him. The room was so small that Jacob's werewolf body was more of a hindrance than a help, but he was determined. Kaname slipped behind him, his hands thrown out in front of him as if to word something away. Jacob twisted and turned, spinning to lunge at the blood-sucker. Something rushed past his body, making his hair stand on end. That same something slammed into the hardwood floor with a resounding crash. Wood splintered, a large circular indent now in the place Jacob had crouched only seconds before. It seemed Kaname was finally showing his power, and it was dangerous.

"Stop!" Yuki shouted. She lunged forward, flinging her arms around Kaname's waist and locking them there.

Jacob felt a thrill of triumph run through him. Kaname froze completely, his eyes flickering back towards Yuki and leaving himself open to attack. Without hesitation, Jacob lunged forward, eyes only for that pale throat he intended to rip out.

Too late he noticed the blur of movement from the corner of his eyes. Zero flung himself between Jacob and his pray, arms raised defensively. For the second time in far to short a period, Jacob felt his teeth sink deep into Zero's arm. The soft gasp that escaped his lips left an almost physical ache in Jacob's stomach. For a long, silent moment no one moved, no one breathed, absolute stillness ran through the room.

And then the first drop of blood hit the wooden floor.

If Jacob had been able to at that moment he would have gagged. Zero didn't blink, but his body shook with what Jacob could only assume was pain. His eyes were a bright, vibrant red. Jacob released his hold on the captured arm. His teeth left a ring of puncture wounds in pale flesh. It looked painful, but Zero ignored it.

"Just stop it. Turn…turn back," Zero said firmly, only the smallest brake in his voice as he lowered his injured arm.

Jacob stared past Zero's shoulder, locking eyes with Kaname. The bloodsucker stood still, Yuki's arms around him restraining him as surely as any chains would have. As long as she kept her hold on him, Kaname would not attack.

Jacob took a deep breath, his werewolf form melting away as he forced himself to calm down. He rose to his feet, off his hands and knees, in order to look Kaname straight in the eyes.

"What the fuck did you think you were doing?" he snarled.

Kaname didn't look the least bit retentive. Instead he ignored Jacob's outburst altogether in favor of turning his attention onto Yuki.

"You can let go, dear, I won't harm your friend," he said soothingly.

"Which one?" she demanded, her arms closing tighter around Kaname as she spoke.

There was a pause before Kaname replied firmly, "Both of them."

Bright eyes scrutinized him closely before Yuki slowly released her hold on him. Jacob gave a growl of outrage. Kaname could dupe Yuki into believing he was harmless, but he knew better. He moved to place himself between Zero and the bloodsucker, but Zero himself forced his way between the other vampire and the werewolf.

"How could you do that?! Aren't you the one that threatened me for going near him?" Jacob demanded, pointing at Zero as he accused Kaname.

Red-brown eyes narrowed dangerously. "I stand by that still."

"Why? So you can fucking _eat _him? Planning on having Yuki for desert?"

Frustration almost forced another transformation as Zero refused to let Jacob pull him away from in front of Kaname. His outburst caused the younger boy to flush furiously and Yuki to squeal in mortification.

"You have no idea what was going on in here before you burst in and threw a tantrum," Kaname hissed.

Tantrum? _Tantrum_. That pompous, self-righteous little assailant was going to try and belittle a werewolf attack down to a mere tantrum? "I'll show you a _tantrum_!"

"Stop! Do you want to die?" Zero shouted.

Jacob's fury suddenly found a new outlet. What was _wrong _with Zero? Didn't he understand that Jacob was trying to protect him? Didn't he understand that Jacob wasn't the one that needed to be concerned about what Kaname might do? For a wild, blind moment he wanted to force Zero to understand, to listen, even if he had to hurt him to make him do it.

And then Jacob couldn't breath. Once again the world seemed to shrink down to Zero and nothing else. All Jacob could smell was blood, and it was sickening. Kaname and Yuki may as well have not been there, for all the attention he gave them. The walls were closing in until the room itself only existed because _Zero _was in it.

Jacob clapped a hand to his head as nausea nearly overwhelmed him. He closed his eyes and focused with all his might on Yuki's scent. It felt as if an eternity had passed before he could open his eyes again without fear of being sick.

"Jacob?" Yuki asked in a small voice.

" 'M fine. Zero's the one that had a bloodsucker feeding on him," he snapped.

Oddly enough both Zero and Yuki flinched, guilt radiating off them in waves. Kaname ran an inpatient hand through his curls before taking a self-composing breath. He fixed his withering gaze on Jacob.

"Zero, get him some pants."

For a moment Zero didn't move, his now red eyes narrowed angrily, but in the end he moved stiffly towards his wardrobe. He ripped open a drawer, grabbed a pair of sweat pants, and thrust them bad temperedly at Jacob. He kept the arm that had been bitten close to his side.

"I had no intention of 'eating' Zero. Drinking his blood was a means to an end," Kaname continued coldly, as Jacob pulled the pants on.

"And what would that be?" Jacob hissed.

Kaname moved his gaze purposefully from Jacob's face to Zero's. Unable to stop himself, Jacob followed the gaze. Zero was frowning, his body tense in his self consciousness. His red eyes flickered back and forth between his two main observes, his breath shallow and uneven. Blood dried from the two small punctures in his neck and the many in is arm.

Red eyes and blood loss. In a vampire. Zero's eyes had been red since the moment Jacob came into the room. Red like the had been back in the woods. In fact, they were red that morning in Cross' apartment.

Zero was hungry again. The realization left Jacob breathless. How could he have missed that? For the past few days he had been fighting that same hunger that drove him out into the woods the first night Jacob found him. It didn't make since though. Last time Zero had been in physical pain, crying even because of the hunger and Kaname had made him drink blood. Why was Kaname drinking blood _from _Zero now when it was blood that Zero needed?

"You gave him blood last time, why are you taking it now?" asked Jacob carefully.

Zero flinched so violently it almost looked like he had been hit. Yuki gasped. She stepped out from behind Kaname, placing herself between all three boys without even realizing it. Jacob was tempted to grab her and pull her away from the dark haired hypocrite, but the look on her face stopped him.

She couldn't seem to decide who to stare at, Zero or Kaname. Finally she rested her eyes on the latter. "You gave him some of your blood?"

Kaname nodded wordlessly.

"You accepted it?" she almost whispered, turning to Zero. She sounded like someone had just upended the only sole foundation she could cling to.

Zero said nothing. He suddenly found his feet extremely interesting. Jacob didn't understand why Yuki looked so upset, but there was no question that this news did not sit right with her.

"Two and a half months. You said you found a way to keep the tablets down," she said hollowly.

Jacob frowned. Two and a half months? It'd been almost a month since he first arrived at the Academy. Had this refusal to eat started that far before then?

"You've been starving yourself," she said in the same tone.

Zero continued to stare at his feet. Anger flashed through Yuki's face. She returned to Kaname, her lips pressed in to a hard line. "You knew he was starving himself, right? And you were trying to stop him?"

Kaname nodded. "He refused, so I tried to make the decision for him."

"I don't want your damn blood!" Zero snapped.

For some reason that made Jacob very smug. Yuki didn't find it as positive a comment as he did.

"You don't want his and you stopped taking mine. Do you want to go mad, Zero? Do you want to die?"

Zero's silence was all the answer anyone needed. Yuki looked as stunned as Jacob felt. He'd known Zero was a bit depressed, but Jacob had thought he had been doing better since the transfer. Discovering that that apparent improvement came from a systematic attempt to starve himself to death left a bitter taste in Jacob's mouth.

Yuki stomped her way to Zero, her eyes flashing. She reached up and ripped the collar of her uniform open, exposing her neck, before grabbing a fistful of Zero's hair and using it to bring him down to eye level.

"I told you before, I'm not going to let you give up on yourself, not even if you hate me for it. My blood it _your _blood, and I want you to take it," she said in the most firm, angry, and oddly compassionate tone Jacob had ever heard her use.

* * *

How will Jacob react to finding out Zero was drinking Yuki's blood? And will Zero listen to her and stop starving himself? Why was Kaname trying to make him drink blood in the first place, and what did the chairmen really mean by his last conversation with Jacob? Now things are going to get complicated. Look out for some "new" faces next time;)


	7. Chapter 7

So, here's the next chapter boys and girls! I should worn you, there will be a tiny, tiny bit of a spoiler from the new twilight book. That chapter in the special edition for Eclipse was grate for feeding my muse.

* * *

Chpter7

For the first time since he came to Cross Academy Jacob felt like an outsider. One look at Zero and Yuki was enough to make it clear that this was not the first time she'd instructed him to drink her blood. One look at Kaname was enough to make it clear that Zero had, and that the other vampire knew it. It never occurred to Jacob that night he found Zero out in the woods that his fear of hurting Yuki stemmed from actually having done so before. He wasn't looking at anyone, least of all Jacob. He wouldn't even look at Yuki until she made him.

"I'm not going to do that," Zero said softly, miserably.

Yuki's eyes narrowed, but now they had tears brimming in them as well. "Why not?"

Zero's mouth opened and closed, but no words came out. He looked utterly defeated in that moment; he would have dropped out of existence if he could have. Slowly he curled his fingers around the hand Yuki had latched onto his shirt. His eyes dropped from her face and focused on the floor.

"I can't," he said softly.

"Why? You have before, why is now any different?" she half sobbed.

"Because I won't be able to stop!" he shouted.

Yuki froze. Jacob glanced at Kaname, his hyper-sensitive ears catching the soft noise of anger that he had made. The vampire's eyes were narrowed and cooled as they watched Zero and Yuki, like he was waiting on tenterhooks for whether or not he would have to step in. Jacob glowered at him. If Kaname so much as twitched a finger in their direction it would be the last thing he ever did.

"But you're killing yourself," Yuki sobbed.

Zero's head lowered until it rested on her shoulder, hiding his face from everyone as he whispered, "I'd rather it be me than you."

Movement from the corner of his eye caught Jacob's attention. Kaname gave the slightest of approving nods. Apparently Zero's decision to kill himself rather than harm Yuki was exactly what he had wanted. Fury spiked deep in Jacob's stomach. How could Kaname do that to Zero? It made no sense, after all his posturing, to be so willing to let Zero die.

That would not happen.

The instant the thought passed through Jacob's head he knew what he had to do. It was crazy, utterly wrong in so many ways, but that didn't matter. The only thing that mattered was keeping the people he cared about safe. If this was the only way to do it then so be it.

He shot Kaname one last, venomous look, silently warning him to stay where he was, before crossing the small space to stand beside Yuki and Zero. He wrapped an arm around her thin shoulders, drawing her back against his chest, while with the other he gripped Zero's shoulder reassuringly.

"Neither one of you has to get hurt here," he said calmly, with a maturity and wisdom he hadn't known he possessed.

Zero looked up at him, Yuki craning her head to mirror the action. Both seemed confused by the comment, but utterly desperate for it to be true.

"What do you mean?" Yuki whispered.

Jacob smiled encouragingly down at her, his eyes moving from her brown orbs to Zero's red ones.

"This is all about blood. Well if you need it that bad, Zero, I have plenty to go around."

He sensed, rather than heard, Kaname's disapproval of this particular option, but he could shove that same disapproval somewhere unpleasant for all Jacob cared.

Zero began to shake his head, trying to step further away from both Jacob and Yuki, but the hand on his shoulder prevented that from happening.

"Don't say no. I'm the only other logical option you have."

"I don't want you blood either. I don't want any blood!" Zero shouted.

Jacob pulled him close, so that, whether he liked it or not, Zero was pressed up against Yuki. She curled her fingers around his shirt hesitantly, concern radiating out of her in waves. Jacob almost laughed at the half-indignant, half-terrified look that flickered across Zero's face.

"You said you were afraid of not being able to stop yourself. Well, that's not a problem with me. No matter what you do, I'll be able to stop you," he said firmly.

Zero looked ready to protest once again, but Jacob didn't give him the chance.

"I'm not going to let you die Zero. If this is what it takes to keep you and Yuki safe I'll do it."

"You don't understand--"

"I understand better than you could possible imagine." He understood that this was wrong, that this went against his very nature, that this may make him exactly what he hated most in the world, but he didn't care. "I understand, and I'm telling you it's alright."

Zero's resolve was beginning to crumble. He was shaking, and this time Jacob was absolutely certain it was from the pain of his hunger. He was miserable and desperate, some part of Jacob realizing that he wasn't in any position to really argue with the offer. It was almost a manipulation of Zero's weakness, but at the moment he didn't care. It was worth it if it kept the other boy alive.

Zero gave in. He didn't say anything out loud, but the slump of his shoulders and the acceptance in his expression said everything. His head fell forward in complete defeat. Yuki moved subtly to one side so that Zero could draw closer to his willing meal. Before he could so much as lift his head up towards Jacob's neck, or even acknowledge what he was about to do, Kaname reacted.

He crossed the room in the span of half a heart beat. He pulled Yuki and Zero away with one hand while practically throwing Jacob across the room with the other. His expression was dark, the air in the room chilling to match his mood. Yuki and Zero both looked surprised at the intervention. Jacob growled, low and vicious, deep in his throat.

"What was that for?"

"You must really hate vampires to be cruel enough to try to pull a stunt like that," replied Kaname in a low hiss.

"What are you talking about?" This was ridiculous. Now he was stopping other people from helping Zero? Did he really hate the boy that much?

Kaname released Zero, and so released Yuki as well. He took a step forward, placing himself between them and Jacob. Dark anger was rolling off of him in torrents, making Jacob's nose sting with the scent of it.

"You're a werewolf. There is no way you cannot know what you were about to do to him"

What the hell was Kaname talking about? Part of Jacob wanted to ask, wanted to demand to know, but another part refused to tell the bloodsucking bastard that he was actually confused. In the end it didn't matter, his silence was all the answer Kaname needed.

"You don't know," he said in disgust. "You're blood is poisonous to our kind, especially to an ex-human like Zero. You could have killed him with it."

Jacob felt himself go cold. Poison? His blood was poison? How could he have not thought of that? Edward had even told him that his blood smelt terrible once. Bella mentioned that he had told her she would never drink Jacob's blood. The Cullens had as good as told him that it was poisonous without exposing their own weakness outright.

Kaname's eyes narrowed as he came to a stop before Jacob. He gestured towards the door, indicating that he expected to be followed. Jacob glanced at Zero and Yuki; the first staring at the wall to the left, the second staring at the first.

"He wont touch her now," Kaname said so quietly Jacob was the only one to hear him.

Fresh resentment curled in Jacob's stomach at the mention of Zero hurting Yuki. It was a ludicrous thought altogether, and it made him even more furious for having considered it himself. With a deep growl Jacob followed Kaname out of the room. The vampire didn't look back once, he simple descended the stairs and stood at the front door, waiting for the werewolf. Jacob, on the other hand, couldn't stop himself from glancing back at the room he'd just left until he was right beside Kaname.

"How could you do that to Zero? I thought you liked him," he demanded bitterly, turning to face the taller figure.

Kaname looked down at him coolly, arrogance now replacing the dark fury. "You thought wrong. Zero is alive for Yuki's sake, I protect him because he protects her. This is not a relationship built on affection, it's built on necessity."

Jacob felt his jaw drop. Necessity? Who was Kaname kidding? A person doesn't go into the woods to force someone they don't like even a little bit to drink their blood. Kaname did just that. He even had Aido and Kane babysitting Zero to make sure he stayed out of trouble. That wasn't out of necessity, that was out of concern.

"You're full of crap. You're a hypocritical liar," Jacob said harshly.

Kaname didn't argue the point. Jacob's hand shot out to grab the collar of Kaname's shirt. He used it to draw the vampire in close, and glared darkly into Kaname's red-brown eyes.

"I don't care what you say, but I'll tell you this right now; if you ever pull the same shit you did tonight again I'll kill you," he said dangerously.

"It's alright, Siren, we're just having a conversation," replied Kaname calmly.

Jacob blinked in confusion, thrown off balance by the unexpected comment. He followed the direction of Kaname's gaze and gave a slight start. Standing behind him, looking cold and deadly in a way no vampire he'd come across so far had, stood a women. She was older than Zero and Yuki, or at least looked older, it was hard to tell a vampire's true age. Her hair was cropped short and she was dressed in the Night Class's standard white uniform. It did nothing to disguise the danger lurking in her slim form. She nodded to Kaname politely and differentially, but her eyes were hard and focused on Jacob.

He'd seen her once before, following Kaname like a protective shadow. He'd never gotten a name to go with her face until now. She seemed all too willing to attack Jacob if given permission.

"Kuran-sama, the chairman wishes for me to inform you of the arrival of a group of guests," she sad formally.

Kaname reached up and removed Jacob's hands from his shirt. He thanked Siren for her message before focusing back on the werewolf in their midst.

"Go see the chairman," he said in a tone that bore no room for argument to Jacob.

"Why should I?"

Siren stiffened in anger and Kaname' eyes flashed with impassions. "You're a prefect. It's your duty to see to the guests."

"So you can go and mess with Zero again? Or maybe you're going to move on to Yuki now?" sneered Jacob.

Kaname's expression soured. "No. I'm coming with you."

Jacob accepted this with bad grace, waiting for Kaname to leave before he followed, slamming the door in Siren's face. At that moment Jacob felt that he detested vampires entirely, save for Zero and his stubborn stupidity was beginning to push it. If it had been possible to kill a man simple by looking at him, Kaname would be dead four times over. They arrived at the chairman's office in stony silence.

"Ah, Jacob, Kaname, you've finally come!" the chairman cried excitedly.

Jacob ignored him, still too engaged with glaring at Kaname's back to bother with looking at the new arrivals.

"Jacob!" a voice shouted, freezing him in his tracks.

He knew that voice, would have been able to pick it out of a crowd despite how long it's had been since he last heard it. His heart stopped beating, refusing to start again until he found the source of that heavenly sound. Slowly, agonizingly slowly, his eyes found the face that went with the perfect voice. Brown hair and pale skin, heart shaped lips curving into a wide, tearful grin. She moved in the same, slow motion, to throw her arms around his neck.

And suddenly the world was on fast forward. Her body slammed into his, and salty tears began to dampen his neck. Jacob's arms rose of their own accord, wrapping around her and pulling her close.

"Bella," he whispered in wonder, as if he was saying a prayer.

Bella nodded, laughing around a sob. She buried her head between his neck and chest.

"Jake! We were all so worried about you. Charlie even put up posters. Billy is devastated, hasn't left his house in weeks. Seth said that the pack could tell you were in Canada, but they couldn't tell where because you were thinking too 'wolf-ish'," she sobbed in a rush.

"I'm sorry," he said thickly, unshed tears burning his eyes.

This was Bella, his Bella. She was here now, right when he'd begun to think he'd never see her again. Yes, Edward Cullen was here as well, standing near Cross, looking as inhumanly perfect as always, but Bella was here. She was in Jacob's arms, crying in joy at finding him, not for anyone else.

Distantly he noted that Alice and Jasper were here as well. He didn't know why Edward would need to travel with his adoptive brother and sister, but that didn't matter right now. Relief warming him in a way he hadn't realized he needed, as he lowered his face to rest on Bella's hair. He took a deep breath, taking in her scent, the scent he'd been missing for so long he had actually begun to forget how much he needed it.

Jacob's blood ran cold.

Bella didn't smell like Bella. Her scent was off just the tiniest bit. The tang of death now accented her normal smell. It was the same way the vampires smelt.

He pulled away, paling as he focused on her now topaz eyes. His gaze flickered towards her left hand, resting on his arm, and his insides froze over. A gold band circled her ring finger. This wasn't his Bella. His Bella was warm, this one was cold as granite; his Bella was single and alive, this Bella was married and dead.

This Bella was his worst nightmare come true. This Bella was a vampire.

"I-I'm sorry. I have to go," he said numbly, stepping out of her touch.

He turned and half-ran, half-stumbled to the door. He couldn't look at the Bella-that-wasn't-Bella anymore, especially when her face fell at his reaction. He couldn't look at Kaname and the distain in his eyes, but most of all, he couldn't stand to look at the result of his ultimate failure.

* * *

And there you have it. Unfortunately, it's only going to go downhill from here for Jacob. I hope I captured his heartbreak well enough Poor guy, he goes from genuinely liking a vampire, to thinking all vampires are crazy, to finding out the girl of his dreams is now a vampire as well all in the span of one day (night…). Remember also, Jacob has no idea what an 'ex-human' is, as far as he knows all vampires were ex-humans. He thought that letting Zero bite him might turn him into a vampire as well. The way Kaname and the Pure Blood's word works will have to be explained to him eventually…


	8. Chapter 8

So, this chapter turned out to be absurdly long. My kick ass bata suggested cutting it in half and I think she had a grate idea. So, the next chapter will be coming out sometime in the next few days, I just need to do a bit of tweaking on it now that it's its own chapter.

* * *

Chapter 8

Jacob ran. He couldn't think, couldn't breathe. The dark dread that had slowly grown in him since he learned of Bella's intended marriage suddenly burst into full bloom. It'd happened. It had really, irrevocably, undeniably happened. Bella, his Bella, was gone. Something cold and dead and not his now stood in her place.

For the second time that day he transformed. He had no control over himself at that particular moment; all he wanted was to get away and transforming helped. Emotions were muted in this form, the pain becoming less intense. Distantly he heard the echo of his pack in his mind, but he ignored them as he fled.

The fence was insight. Tonight he had no trouble jumping it. The woods were a blessing, one he wanted nothing more than to lose himself in. In a matter of minutes the clearing that was his introduction to Cross Academy appeared. He stopped short and collapsed beneath the same tree he had found Zero under. He curled his head down and wrapped his tail around his body to block out the night.

How was this possible? How? For the first time in a very long time Jacob had felt at peace with himself and those around him. He had friends, good friends, in Yuki and Zero. Here at Cross Academy he didn't have to worry about treaties and pack expectations, or Bella's humanity. Here, at Cross Academy, Jacob had even begun to accept the presence of vampires, due to Zero's inadvertent influence.

In the span of one night all of that came crashing down around him. Zero fodder for Kaname's food, werewolf blood a deadly poison, his true nature revealed to the two people he never wanted to know about it, and Bella a full fledged Cullen. Before tonight Jacob had not thought it was possible for everything to go wrong at once.

The sharp snap of a twig made Jacob's ears twitch to alertness. No scent followed the echoing sound; the wind was blowing in the wrong direction. He gave a low, dangerous growl, but did not move from his spot beneath the tree. The source of the noise drew closer, close enough for the scent to flow to his nose. Another growl escaped him as Zero stopped a foot away from his curled form.

"Jacob?" the vampire sounded slightly uncertain.

The wolf didn't move. Maybe if he played dead long enough the idiot would just go away. Ten minutes passed with no such luck. While Zero moved no closer, he also moved no further away.

"I know that's you Jacob. There are no wolves this big aside from you," he said firmly.

Jacob growled, allowing his tail to flick away from his face. His eyes moved slowly to Zero. The boy was pale, his eyes still a bright, glowing red. At least Kaname had been right about his refusal to drink Yuki's blood, if he had been wrong, the red eyes would be blue-gray. Another growl sounded, but Zero didn't bat an eye. In fact, he moved closer. Furious that Zero wasn't leaving, Jacob bared his fangs.

Zero stilled for the briefest of moments before determinedly walking forward once more. He only stopped when he nearly stepped on Jacob's snout. He glared mulishly down at the large wolf without any hint of fear.

"I'm not leaving until you stop acting like a giant, furry jackass," he said firmly.

Jacob's head snapped up in indignation, another growl rippling through him.

"It's the truth. Why did you go running out of the Academy like that?"

A long moment of silence followed. Zero raised a cool eyebrow and contemplated Jacob in silence. The coolly considering look slowly slipped away. He shifted slightly from foot to foot, the slightest tinge of unease softly radiating from him. Despite himself, Jacob found he was interested in this change in attitude.

"That was you…that night in the woods. I asked you to kill me that night…didn't I?" he asked quietly.

Jacob hesitated before giving a slow nod. This wasn't a conversation he wanted to have right now, but it didn't look like Zero would give him any choice in the matter.

"Why didn't you?" There was something almost vulnerable in his question and refusal to look Jacob in the eye.

There was no way to actually answer that in the form he was currently in. Aside from that, Jacob wouldn't have been able to find the words to explain himself anyway. There truly was no reason that he could define; at the time something in Jacob just hadn't been able to. Zero hadn't looked dangerous, he'd looked beaten down and defeated. How could Jacob possibly kill someone like that, even if they were a vampire?

Zero sighed. "I don't understand you. Is this what you meant when you said you were a hunter? Are you even part of the Organization?"

Jacob shook his large head slowly. He was not and had never been part of the "Organization" that Cross and Zero spoke of, and he had no intention of telling Zero about the pack.

This small bit of honesty brought a frown to the vampire's face. He curled his fingers into a tight fist, his teeth grinding in frustration. With a grown he fell to the ground before Jacob while he raked a hand through his hair distractedly. Why was Zero even out here now? Why wouldn't everyone just leave Jacob the hell alone? He didn't want to have a heart to heart right now. Besides, Zero looked like he just might be sick. He was shaking and covered in a cold sweat. If he didn't get blood soon he would be as far gone as the first night that Jacob found him.

"You're not human, you're not a vampire, you're not part of the Hunter's Organization. What are you then? A werewolf?" Zero asked, frustrated.

Jacob gave a whine of annoyance before nodding as well.

Zero laughed, but it wasn't an amused sound. It was full of bitterness as he regarded Jacob's larger form.

"So, Kuran was right about that at least. Who knew the guy had an honest bone in him?"

Jacob sighed. Zero wasn't going away and this conversation was rapidly deteriorating into something needing more than a shake or nod of the head. He took a deep breath, calming himself internally as thoroughly as he could at the moment. Seconds later he felt the transformation, fur dropping away to reveal smooth skin, claws retracting into near-harmless human nails, bones retracting into their original form. He pushed himself up, so that he was not sitting on his knees in the dirt, and frowned at Zero.

"You really can't take a hint and just go away can you?" he demanded angrily.

Zero shrugged. "Not when I want answers. You've been giving a lot of half truths until now. Why are you here Jacob? Who the hell are you?"

Jacob stayed silent, jaw clenched. He tried valiantly to stare Zero down, to force him from sheer discomfort to go away. It didn't work as well as he'd hoped; those red eyes were far more disconcerting than they had any right to be.

"It was an accident. I never meant to come here. That night I found you in the woods what the first time I had every heard of Cross Academy. After that, the chairman strong armed me into staying for a while. I figured it wasn't too terrible a deal so I agreed. End of story," he said in an angry rush.

Zero cocked his head to the side, trying to discern the level of truth in that statement. "What did you do to get him to make you a prefect?"

"Cross knew I was a werewolf and figured it was the best fit for me."

"That's all? Then why did you say you were a hunter? What did you mean when you said you knew plenty of vampires before coming here?" Zero was angry now.

It made sense that he could be restrained and disconnected from Jacob's decision to come to the school and to stay on as a prefect, but the organization and that particular conversation meant something to the vampire. Jacob knew this and understood it perfectly well. The Hunter's Organization was Zero's that same as the pack was Jacobs, and that conversation had made the vampire marginally more comfortable in his own skin. How detrimental would it be to find out that that small comfort was a lie as well? Maybe as bad as finding out Bella had chosen Edward over Jacob.

"I'm a hunter, just not part of your organization. I hunt alone, but I'd venture a guess we hunt the same things. As far as the vampire comment went; that was the truth. I've known plenty of vampires and you're the only one I've ever _not _felt like killing on principle."

Zero said nothing. He kept his face carefully blank as he asked, "So you didn't kill me that night because you didn't feel like it?"

Jacob could sense the danger in that statement. The truth was, he simply hadn't felt like it. Zero didn't seem to understand that not wanting to kill him was actually a colossal moment in Jacob's life. By all rights, he should have felt like killing any vampire he came across at that point.

"You didn't seem like a normal vampire. You just seemed more human than any vampire I'd met before."

Zero accepted that. He turned away from Jacob to stare out into the darkness of the woods. Without looking at his companion the vampire said stiffly, "Thanks…on your offer earlier. For being willing to help Yuki."

"I was trying to help you too, you emotionally constipated dope," Jacob replied ruefully.

Zero didn't turn back to him, but he did give the smallest of smirks. Just like that, Jacob knew they were going to be ok. Yes, he lied about certain things, but overall he'd been nothing but truthful to Yuki and Zero. They were the only ones that counted at this place anyway. Zero wasn't upset about finding out that Jacob had almost ate him not to long ago, or that no werewolves were a part of the hunter's organization.

"You do realize that you're naked, right?" Zero finally asked, that smirk still in place.

"I thought it was a rather nice view, all and all," replied Jacob casually.

Zero snorted. "Not likely. You ruined my clothes, didn't you?"

"Yep."

"Didn't like them that much anyway."

Jacob grinned broadly, pleased with Zero's easy acceptance of the tragic fate his pants had met. He took another deep breath, calm despite himself. A twig snapped off to the right. Both boys turned in the direction of the sound, and Jacob felt his stomach drop down past knees.

* * *

I hope Zero isn't getting out of character. He's acting with Jacob the way he acts with Yuk (when they aren't fighting over his eating habits) because the two are friends. It always struck me that he had not actual friends to interact with aside from her. So Jacob is helping him come out of his shell a little bit at the same time that Zero is unintentionally helping Jacob stop thinking of vampires as evil.


	9. Chapter 9

Here we go, slightly shorter then the last one, but oh well!

* * *

Bella stood, framed between a tree and a bush. Her pale hands clutched tightly at a pair of sweat pants held close to her chest. In the dark, her honey brown eyes almost seemed to glow as they shifted between Zero and Jacob. Her lips were tightly pressed together, but he couldn't tell if it was from anger or sadness.

"Bella," Jacob whispered softly.

She stepped closer. Her eyes moved between vampire and werewolf slowly, as if she needed time to discern what she was actually seeing. Jacob felt the body beside him stiffen. Zero stood abruptly, his expression as closed off as hers. Even still, the tightness of his shoulders spoke of his unease. Bella actually unnerved Zero. Jacob found that amusing, in a grim sort of way.

"See you later," Zero muttered as he stepped past the other vampire.

Neither Jacob nor Bella spoke until he was well out of sight.

Abruptly she spun and shoved the sweat pants at Jacob. He accepted them wordlessly. Again, he almost laughed as she looked away from his nakedness. For some reason having her there was making him feel giddy, and not in a good way.

"He's a student here?" she finally asked stiffly, staring into the darkness Zero had vanished into.

Jacob nodded.

"A Night Class student," she added flatly.

Again, Jacob nodded. Cross must have been filling her in on the inner workings of the school for her to know there were two different classes at the Academe.

"So you can talk to _that _vampire without freaking out, but you can't talk to _this _one?" she demanded, gesturing towards herself as she spoke.

Jacob stiffened. A growl almost made it's way past his lips. "What sort of question is that?" he demanded.

"An honest one!" Bella shouted. She stomped her way before Jacob, glaring up into his face. Her eyes were bright with pain even as she narrowed them with anger.

She was still so short.

"You and Zero are nothing alike," he pointed out hotly.

"How can you say that?! We're both vampires. How come his being a vampire doesn't bother you, but my being a vampire does?" She was almost screaming with anger now, her hands shaking in pent up emotion. The last time Jacob had seen her this angry she ended up punching him hard enough to break her own hand. Fleetingly he wondered if it would hurt this time if she hit him.

"Zero didn't become a bloodsucking monster on my watch," he growled, leaning down to glare more closely at her. She bristled.

"What's that supposed to mean? I was never 'on your watch'" Bella insisted.

Jacob gave a barking laugh. He stepped away, tugging at his hair in fury. Why was this so hard for Bella to understand? They must have had renditions of this conversation hundreds of times over the last year. He suddenly needed to hit something. Hard. With a snarl he slammed his fist into the tree before him, splintering the bark. Bella flinched slightly, but did not relent.

"You were on my watch Bella, you were! Why do you think the pack was so willing to let you associate with the Cullens? I was supposed to keep you safe!" he shouted, his throat suddenly burning.

The one thing he was supposed to do and he failed.

"I never needed you to keep me safe! Edward was never going to hurt me, he still hasn't."

Jacob spun around with a snarl and grabbed her shoulders, giving them an almost desperate shake.

"Yes he has! Look at you Bella! You're a vampire, you're dead!" be bellowed.

"I chose this Jacob. Me! It was my choice! Not your's, not the pack's, not even Edward's!" she screamed.

"But you're not Bella anymore! Your heart isn't even beating, you're dead!"

Bella's eyes narrowed. Her honey colored eyes seem to glow brighter in her fury as she wrenched herself out of his grasp.

"So is your friend, but you seem to be able to talk to him like he's a human being. I thought _we _were friends, Jacob. I guess I was wrong," she said in a low, cold voice.

Without another word she turned and stomped back towards the Academy.

Jacob couldn't move. It made no sense, none of it. How could Bella not understand how she and Zero weren't the same? Zero hadn't asked for someone to come and turn him into a monster, he hadn't asked for his life to be over. Bella had. Worse, she chose this even after telling Jacob they could be happy together in another life. Well, screw that. Jacob wanted her to be happy and alive in _this _lifetime. Bella chose not to be. That was the difference; Bella chose and Zero didn't.

When the first signs of sunlight stained the sky Jacob found himself back at the Academy. The Night Class needed to be herded back to their little mansion and auto-pilot kept Jacob from having to think too deeply about anything. He ignored Aido when he asked about Zero, he would find out what happened soon enough anyway. Kaname wasn't there, so small blessings did occur every once in a while.

Yuki was not so easy to ignore, and some part of Jacob didn't want to. She reminded him of the way that Bella should be; alive.

"Jacob, what happened?" she asked hesitantly, her eyes lingering on the sweat pants and shirtless chest.

"Rough night," Jacob admitted.

Concern colored her gaze. Slim fingers reached out to rest on his arm in a effort to comfort, but she never got to voice the words about to slip past her lips.

"I like your uniform," a pleasant voice, like the sound of a bell, said.

Jacob growled and Yuki blinked. Two new vampires stood beside the prefects. Alice and Jasper Cullen looked like perfect candidates for the Night Class, both inhumanly attractive. Alice was small and thin, almost to the extreme, with short black hair in a wild halo around her pretty face. Standing beside her, Jasper looked taller than he actually was. Where she was smiling brightly, he looked calm and composed, his slightly rumpled blonde hair the most striking factor about his otherwise neat person.

"Why the hell are you two here?" Jacob snarled.

"We just wanted to see how the class switching worked," chirped Alice.

She focused her attention on Yuki and smiled sweetly. Or, it would have been sweet, if she wasn't a bloodsucking monster. "I'm Alice. This is Jasper. We came to tour the school."

Jasper gave a polite smile of acknowledgement when Yuki's curious eyes found his. Jacob stepped purposely between her and the Cullens.

"We're busy, go away," he snapped.

Alice tilted her head slightly, regarding him in silence. She was the spokesperson when it came to these two particular Cullens. Jasper wasn't much of a talker, the few times Jacob had actually heard him speak it had been to convey something important. Hopefully he would take his little girlfriend and go the hell away when he realized that Jacob would not welcome them here.

"Zero, you should be resting!" Yuki called sharply, pulling away from the three-way werewolf-vampire standoff.

Jacob turned to watch her snag Zero's shirt sleeve. It looked like the boy had been heading towards the chairman's office, but Yuki would have none of that. She pulled and pushed good-naturedly at him until he relented and turned back to the Moon Dorms. He cast a curious look back at Jacob and the two new arrivals before allowing himself to be led away.

"That's interesting," Jasper said softly, considering.

Jacob stiffened slightly before turning to see where the taller Cullen was looking. Jasper's golden eyes were fixed on Zero, something in his expression making the hair on Jacob's neck stand on end.

* * *

That's it for now. The next chapter should be out in about a week or two.


	10. Chapter 10

Sorry this took so long!

Chapter 10

* * *

The next few days were like a nightmare to Jacob. Bella and the Cullens decided to stay for the week in order to observe how the school operated and to better acquaint themselves with the night class. The majority of Cross Academy's nocturnal students found these new arrivals rather interesting, Aido especially seemed fascinated with them. Oddly enough, the Cullens showed just as much fascination with the students, as if they had never seen vampires quite like them before. Blood tablets were a new and intriguing discovery for them.

That actually surprised Jacob. He knew the Cullens were "vegetarians" as far as vampires were concerned, but he'd never really stopped to give that distinction much thought. What did they eat, if not the blood of humans or the synthesized tablets? He wanted to ask but couldn't bring himself to be anywhere near civil enough to breach the subject with them.

"There's something odd about them," Aido insisted forcefully one night during the class switch.

"How so?" replied Kain. He was watching Zero, who was talking to Yuki, rather than his cousin. It was clear from the look on the tall vampire's face that he too had noticed the almost permanent red in Zero's gaze.

"They're cold."

"So they can get a sweater."

"No, I mean, like dead-cold. As in, they aren't alive anymore. They don't have heartbeats," hissed Aido, stepping closer to Kain when he realized Jacob and one of the Cullens in question were both watching him.

Kain raised an eyebrow, but said nothing.

"I think he's the one that's a bit odd, actually," Alice said calmly.

Jacob tried hard not to bristle. Since their first night here Alice and Jasper had been observing the class switch with wrapped attention. Jacob was under the distinct impression that they were watching Zero in particular during these times, but he didn't know why. After that one comment from Jasper it had become almost a mission to keep the two from focusing too closely on anyone from the school.

"His heart is beating. What sort of vampire has a beating heart?" continued Alice, her eyes scanning as they followed the Night Class' progression.

Tonight she was alone. Jacob didn't know where Jasper was and that made his skin crawl slightly.

"All of them are like that. Why?" This time the question was directed pointedly at Jacob.

"How the hell should I know?" he hissed, turning to glower at her.

Alice shrugged one small shoulder. "It was worth asking."

Jacob turned fully to face her. Small as she was, Alice gave the impression of being a delicate youth. To simply look at her was almost enough to convince Jacob of how simple it would be to break her. Who was really going to stop him from walking over to her and ripping her apart? The Night Class was in their respective lectures and the Day Class had already been herded away by Yuki. It was just the two of them here.

His feet moved forward of their own accord, bringing Jacob to tower over the small vampire. Alice stared unconcernedly up at him. The sudden memory of this same women dancing through a sea of bloodthirsty and desperate attackers, leaving in her wake a trail of true death, flashed through Jacob's mind. Alice may look breakable, but that look was deserving. Jacob had seen her fight vampires twice her size and strength without any trouble. It came from her ability to see the future.

"Class is in session, you can leave now," he said softly.

"Actually, we're going to sit in on a lesson today," said a voice from behind.

Jacob only barely managed not to jump in surprise. Jasper and Bella stood behind him, one watching him closely while the other pretended that she didn't see him. All at once Jacob felt his mounting agitation slip away, replaced by a soothing calm. He frowned slightly at Jasper, but couldn't actually bring himself to feel annoyed again. Jacob knew without a shadow of a doubt that this improvement in mood was the vampire's fault; Jasper had the ability to manipulate the emotions of those around him. One's own feelings were not to be trusted when he was around.

"See you later then," Alice called brightly.

Jacob tried not to shudder at the thought. He knew the instant he was out from under Jasper's influence when his mood immediately turn sour once again. He didn't know what to do about Bella. She didn't understand his difficulty in accepting her decision to marry Edward and all that that entailed or his ability to overlook Zero's vampire nature. They were at an impasse.

He needed a distraction and he needed one badly. Knowing it would not come from his prefect duties tonight, not with Kaname keeping the Night Class on their best behavior for their guests, he looked for it elsewhere. As much as he hated Alice and as annoying as Aido was on principle they both had a good point. Why did the vampires of the Night Class have beating hearts and flowing blood in them when the Cullens had no beating hearts or flowing blood? Why was the Night Class more alive, for lack of a better term, than the Cullens?

At first, when Jacob had found Zero out in the woods and discovered his oddities the werewolf had been able to dismiss them. He thought Zero was a newborn; they were more 'alive' than the Cullens had been, all of whom were a century old or older. But Yuki had then explained to him that Zero had been living with her for four years, and in those four years he had aged and grown. It was before coming to live with her that Zero became a vampire. How was that possible? And Aido insisted that he was born a bloodsucker, not turned in to one. None of that made any sense when compared to what Jacob knew of vampires through observing the Cullens.

Vampires were supposed to be creatures that existed outside of time. Once bitten they were dead, for all intents and purposes. They did not age, they did not change at all. They were like marble statues, fixed forever in an impossible, inorganic perfection. A bite from one of them was poisonous, and it was that poison that turned a victim into another member of the undead. None of this was the same with the vampires of the Night Class. Kaname had bitten Zero and aside from the discomfort of having teeth in his neck Zero had been fine, and Zero had bitten Yuki and she was still undeniably human. How was that possible?

The quickest way to an answer would be through Kaname, but Jacob would rather eat nails than talk to him if at all possible. That left only the chairman as the only other source of information he could turn to.

He made his slow way to the chairman's office, lost in his own musings. He mounted the stairs at an ambling pace, and pushed open the door to the man's office without bothering to knock.

"-and then we--oh! Jacob, what are you doing here?" the chairman's bright voice rang out.

Jacob looked up as he stepped fully into the room. The chairman sat behind his desk, a stack of papers neglected off in the corner. He was not alone, as Jacob had hoped. A boy who looked no older than seventeen sat in the chair opposite him. At the moment he was looking back at Jacob, his copper hair falling into golden eyes. As with all the Cullens, this boy's looks were deserving. Edward was well over a hundred years old.

"I assume you know Edward," the chairman continued.

Jacob began to back up towards the door, his eyes narrowed. Edward didn't move from his chair. Jacob made sure to think as many nasty things in regards to the vampire as he could before leaving the room, knowing Edward's talent would let him hear. The chairman had other plans. He sprung up from his desk, a wide grin on his face. Behind his glances his eyes were sharper than normal, something contemplative lingering about his expression. He grasped Jacob's upper arm, pulling him into an almost-hug, and led him back into the room. The door was kicked shut behind them.

"Why don't you take a seat? I was all ready to call you anyway," he said amiably.

"I was just--" Jacob began.

"Excellent! I'll be right back, I need to go grab something," the chairman babbled as he practically shoved Jacob into his vacated chair.

He left the room in a swirl of smiles and promises to return.

Absolute silence fell between the werewolf and the vampire. Jacob and Edward stared at each other stiffly across the oak panels of Cross' desk. The man's hasty departure and his leaving the two alone in the room had been a very poorly masked ploy to give them sometime to talk. Jacob knew that, and he didn't even have Edward's advantage of reading minds.

Jacob crossed his arms over his chest and was resolutely determined not to say a word.

"I heard that you and Bella had a bit of an unpleasant conversation the other day," Edward began calmly. He watched Jacob grunt noncommittally in reply.

"She thinks you hate her. Not just the part of her that's a vampire now," he continued coldly.

"I don't hate her," Jacob snapped.

"Funny. I can't imagine how she could misinterpret your silence as anything less than glowing friendship."

Jacob's eyes narrowed, but he refused to look back at Edward. He wouldn't give the pompous ass the satisfaction. Instead he studied the chairman's windowsill. It had a scratch in its right hand corner.

"You don't understand," Jacob almost whispered.

"You're right, I don't. I was never as strong a man as you were, I could never let her go. That's why I can't understand this sudden attitude change," he said flippantly.

Jacob stared at Edward sharply out of the corner of his eye. Why was Edward calling him a stronger man?

"What sudden change? My attitude has been the same on this from day one," he growled.

"Really? You've always hated Bella?"

"That's not Bella anymore!" Jacob shouted. He slammed his fist down onto the table with enough force to make the wood shudder. Edward didn't even blink.

"She's still Bella."

"No she isn't! Bella is alive, she's got a heart. I thought you said you weren't going to hurt her," he accused.

Edward didn't look away, but a slight shadow of sadness touched his features now.

"I did want to keep her safe, but I already told you Jacob; I'm not as good a man as you are. I had no intention of turning her but then she made me an offer I simply could not walk away from," he said very seriously, sitting still in the most unnatural of ways.

"What would that be? Marriage?" Jacob hoped he sounded as scathing as he intended.

"Yes."

"Bullshit! You should have said no. If you love her half as much as you say you do, you should have said no and left her alone. Then maybe she could have a life," he bellowed.

Edward sighed. His eyes never left Jacob, there was no attempts at evading anything the werewolf felt like throwing at him. On some level Jacob knew Edward had to have heard him think approvingly on the vampire's willingness to face the brunt of his rage head on, but that level was buried very deep. At the moment all that Jacob could focus on was not attacking the man that took Bella away from him.

"Maybe you're right," Edward said, his voice velvet. "The fact of the matter is that I didn't. I'm not going to apologize for that either, at least not to you."

Jacob was torn between blind fury at Edward and the caviler way he spoke about ending Bella's life and absolute misery over the way things had ended up. He sunk down in the chairman's seat once again, suddenly feeling very old and very tired. For a long stretch of time Edward said nothing.

"You really don't understand what you have here, do you?" the vampire finally asked. His tone was almost sympathizing. Jacob glanced up at Edward through his bangs and glared. His silence seemed answer enough.

"Bella was eating herself up inside over you. The whole time you were gone she never gave up on you, not even when the rest of your pack seemed to. She had Seth watching and listening for her as often as he could, so that she would know if you needed help. Even realizing there was nothing she could really do for you, Bella was willing to drop everything if it came to that, all for you," he said softly.

"And that's why you guys decided to go on this little trip to the Academy?" countered Jacob bitterly.

Edward's eyes narrowed. "It was supposed to be our honeymoon, but Alice had a vision about the school and wanted to see it. Since it was on the way to our destination Bella and I said we would join her and Jasper on their trip. We found you here on accident. We stayed. I believe that proves my point."

Jacob couldn't hold that amber gaze any longer. It wasn't that he thought he was wrong, or that Edward was trying to make him feel guilty. It was just a slow churning in the pit of his stomach making Jacob feel slightly queasy that forced Jacob to turn away.

They were on their way to there honeymoon?

"Why are you telling me this?" he finally asked, trying to keep the note of defeat out of his voice.

"Because you need to realize that Bella will always be Bella, and because of that she will always hold you in a special place in her heart. Because of that you will always hold a special place in our family. Bella would do anything for you, and I would do anything for her."

Jacob found himself transfixed by the implications of Edward's words. He could guess where they were leading, the declaration coming to a head in only one possible way, but he still felt his muscles clench in shock at the actual vocalization of those words.

"Bella is one of us now, and we all stand behind her. She stands behind you, so we stand behind you. It is more than just the pack that you left behind when you ran. You left us behind as well."

* * *

There you have it. I always sort of felt that Edward liked Jacob, despite how hard our little werewolf made things for him. Realistically, Bella is never going to stop being friends with Jacob, she just can't. It would be like telling her to forget about what little family she might be able to keep despite her change, so Edward would never try to make her. That has to logically lead to the Cullen clan finding themselves with at least one wolf -buddy, and that's not counting Seth who seems to almost hero-worship Edward. Sorry that was a bit long there! With any luck the next chapter will be out before the last Twilight book!


	11. Chapter 11

Alright, here's one of the big chapters. It's the explanation for why the two vampires are so different from one another. I hope that it makes scene to all of you, because I know what I'm trying to explain and still fell a bit lost reading it! And I just want to reiterate, remember who's narrating and the sort of prejudices that he has. Jacob might not be as reliable a narrator as he thinks he is;)

* * *

Chapter 11

The door swung open with the sort of excitement and exuberance that only a five year old could have and the chairman bounded into the room. He seemed oblivious to the heavy silence that shattered upon his arrival and instead beamed at Jacob as he moved numbly out of the chair behind the desk. Slowly, in an almost daze that was a just a bit too focused to actually count, the werewolf shuffled to stand in the general vicinity of the desk's right hand corner. Edward sat to his left.

"I hope you two got along well while I was gone?" the chairman asked curiously.

Edward gave a polite, crooked smile and nodded. Jacob thought he himself might have grunted, but he was too preoccupied with his own thoughts to pay particular attention to his own speech.

A Cullen? Edward called him a Cullen. He realized that didn't mean he was actually a vampire, or that he was related the them in any real way. More daunting still, the sort of connection Edward was talking about ran deeper than all that. He meant Jacob was family. That a werewolf had been adopted by a gaggle of vampires, or that a gaggle of vampires had been adopted by a werewolf. Either way it was crazy.

Werewolves and vampires were never meant to be friends; their very functions in the world were contrary. How could Edward even get the words out of his mouth? Didn't it feel wrong somewhere deep inside of him? And, aside from the opposing nature of their being, there should be another reason Edward would not want to extend that offer of friendship to him. Jacob had no illusions that his attempts at seducing and guilting Bella away from the vampire were a bit underhanded. The offer wouldn't have been made if their positions were reversed.

The only logical reason for Edward to try to bridge the gap between them was Bella. With a sinking certainty Jacob realized the vampire must have been telling the truth when he said Bella was in agony over their falling out.

"Now, Jacob, did you come here for something in particular or did you just feel like a chat?" Cross asked brightly.

Jacob blinked. Had he come here for something specific? He knew there had been a reason, but he couldn't remember what it was anymore.

"Jacob was curious, and I must say that I am as well, about the differences between my family and I and the vampires of your academy," Edward supplied smoothly.

Despite being well aware of the fact that Edward could read minds Jacob still found himself slightly unnerved. It always made him a bit twitchy when his personal thoughts started popping out of Edward's mouth.

Cross nodded calmly, as if he had been waiting for this particular conversation to arise. He leaned back in his chair, his hands steepled on the desktop. Blue eyes closed as he considered where to start. Edward's eyebrows quirked in interest, clearly surprised at what the man was thinking.

"The difference lies in a power associated with a vampire long ago. Originally all vampires were the way that you Cullens are; essentially dead. One poor soul was bitten who turned out to have a particularly interesting power. She had the ability to live through anything," Cross said studiously. He pushed his glasses back up along his nose before continuing.

"Instead of simply staying the way that she was at the point in which she was turned, this vampire continued to aged. After a time she in turn changed another into a vampire; a man she had loved when she still human. And she wasn't human now, remember that. She was a vampire without a doubt, but she still lived and breathed as if she were a mortal. She and the man had children, all of whom aged. The process was considerably slower than in humans, but it was still aging none the less. They also fed like vampires, needing a diet of blood in order to survive, and each displayed the powers attributed to vampires."

"So they were hybrids?" Edward asked, his eyes narrowed in concentration.

Cross nodded, pleased with the wording. "Yes, more or less. The children of this original family had the ability to pass on their vampire nature to others, but those that were changed did not have the ability to create more vampires. Only the original family could, and because of this they were called Purebloods by their followers. The stronger the original blood in a vampire the greater the likelihood they could create other vampires. And I mean create, not reproduce."

Jacob frowned. Pureblood? Hadn't someone been calling Kaname that? How much inbreeding did these vampires have to have going on for the Purebloods to still be around generations later? Or did they just live so long that the ones around now were the second generation?

"The Purebloods live incredibly long lives. Kaname is one, in fact, and he's only a third generation Pureblood. The descendents of the humans originally turned by the Purebloods came to be known as Nobles. They couldn't turn humans into vampires, but they could reproduce amongst themselves and give birth to more vampires. They are quite numerous now, in fact most of the Night Class students are Nobles. They consider themselves very important because they keep the vampire community thriving, and because of this they demand respect from those beneath them."

"Who would be beneath them? They're the bottom of the vampire food-chain," Jacob grumbled. Purebloods? Nobles? Now vampires were going around imposing a caste system on each other? As if there weren't enough reasons to dislike them.

"No they aren't," Edward whispered.

Jacob glanced sharply at him. For some reason this admittance didn't sound particularly pleasant. Right away he knew Edward had read something in Cross' mind that left him less than pleased.

Cross nodded in acknowledgement of the comment. "He's exactly right. These vampires can reproduce. They have no need to make more of their kind, because they give birth to them organically. When a human was turned by a Pureblood it was rarely good. Almost all of the ex-humans turned by the Purebloods lost their sanity to the change, very few survived long enough to be counted as a Noble after the initial group was made. The power transferred that kept them alive also destroyed most human's chances of staying sane; it was just too intense.

'All ex-humans were, and still are largely, viewed as…Well, as food that's a bit more durable than most, or 'embarrassments' that need to be taken care of," Cross admitted grimly. It was clear from his tone that he didn't share the same views as the Purebloods and the Nobles in this regards.

All at once Jacob understood why Cross disagreed with this assessment of ex-humans. Zero was one of them. Jacob gripped the edge of the desk in order to steady himself. It all made sense now, the way Zero constantly found himself overwhelmed with hunger, why he wanted to kill himself, and why he had such a devastating opinion of his own self worth. Zero really was fighting for his sanity and his dignity in a school full of Purebloods and Nobles. Edward's eyes snapped quickly towards him before turning back to Cross

"Why have I never heard of these Purebloods and Nobles before? Why haven't any of my family members heard of these…social norms before either?" he said in an infuriatingly calm voice.

Cross smiled somewhat grimly. It was an odd look on a face normally inclined towards near manic happiness. "That's a three fold answer. The original vampires were not particularly fond of the Purebloods and their lot. The feeling was more than mutual. The Purebloods and the Nobles formed a Council to govern their society and the Council deemed interaction with the other strand of vampires illegal. They were all ex-humans with more power then they should have as far as the Council was concerned. A similar group within the original vampires decreed likewise. A Hunters organization was formed by a small number of humans that knew of the vampires The Hunters feared there would be a war if the two sides were not segregated and so they strove to keep the two groups apart."

His blue eyes found Edwards and an honest smile touched Cross' face. "They were doing an excellent job of it before you and your family came to this school."

Edward said nothing at first. That was understandable. Jacob felt like his head was spinning. No wonder Aido thought the Cullens were odd; he really hadn't ever met vampires like them before. The influence to these two nocturnal groups was amazingly terrifying. How long had there been an almost-cold-war going on between them? And how long had the Hunters been acting as their keepers? More importantly, what sort of a mess had Bella gotten herself into?

"Thank you for your time, Mr. Cross. It was very informative. Unfortunately I need to go and meet with my wife and siblings now," Edward said smoothly as he stood from his seat. He exchanged handshakes with Cross before turning back to Jacob. "Perhaps you could help me find them? I'm still a bit lost as to where things are here."

"Sure," Jacob murmured.

They left the office in silence, but this time there was nothing hostile about it. In fact, Jacob felt almost glad that Edward had heard all of that, it made it much less likely that anything would happen to Bella. As much as he disliked the bloodsucker on principle Jacob couldn't deny that Edward would do anything in his power to keep her far away from the ludicrous power struggle between the vampires.

They found Bella and the other two Cullens beside the fountain centered on the path between the Moon and the Sun dorms. The three were not alone. Alice stood, one arm linked with Bella, the other linked with Yuki. She spoke excitedly while the other two looked on in slight awe at her exuberance. Jasper stood silently to their right, conversing politely with Kaname. Hovering slightly between the two groups was Zero. He was quite obviously uncomfortable with the present company, but even more so with the thought of leaving Yuki alone with them. Jacob couldn't help the fond smile that threaten to brake free at the sight.

Kaname was the first to notice the werewolf and his company, Bella looking up only moments later. A stab of guilt ran through him when her face clouded over and she moved her scrutiny on to Edward. Maybe the bloodsucker was right. Maybe, undead or not, Bella was still Bella. If that was true, Jacob had been horrible to his best friend.

"Edward! Finally. I was beginning to think that you got lost," Alice said excitedly. She danced forward, dragging her captives along with her. "You'll never believe how many vampires are at this academy!"

Edward smirked slightly, amusement clear in his expression. Jasper drifted up to stand behind Alice, acting as her shadow once more. Kaname followed him, smiling at the small girl's enthusiasm. Not everyone shared it. Bella looked pleadingly at Edward and mouthed, "save me" while Zero looked about ready to start twitching at Kaname's proximity to Yuki. She, for her part, seemed perfectly willing to share Alice's excitement.

"Over a hundred and thirty-five," Yuki said proudly. "And they're all very nice."

Edward raised an eyebrow in surprise. "That many and still no trouble with the human students?"

Kaname smiled in a very unassuming way that probably made him look suave to most, but only managed to make Jacob want to hit him. "There's only ever been one incident, and that student has been closely monitored since. It won't happen again."

Somehow Jacob was under the distinct impression that Kaname was making an underhanded comment. Noting about the way that he said it spoke of insult, but the nagging feeling was still present.

Zero blushed miserably and turned to stare fixedly at the grass growing along the edge of the path.

"Fascinating," Edward acknowledged. There was something slightly off in his tone, a fact Bella caught instantly. Her eyes narrowed slightly in consideration as she watched him, but she said nothing.

"Kaname's promised to show us the stables. Would you like to come?" Alice asked, still looking excited.

"I'll have to pass. There was actually something that I need to discuss with Bella," Edward replied. Bella disentangled herself from Alice and stepped closer to her husband.

"We'll have to see the horses some other time," she said, sounding exceedingly grateful for the reprieve. Jacob had the feeling she was afraid of horses.

"All right. Will you still come?" this last Alice directed at Yuki. The prefect began to nod in affirmation, but Zero cut her off.

"No you aren't. You have class in three hours. Go to sleep before you make yourself sick," he said somewhat harshly, his nervousness making his tone slightly harder then he intended.

Yuki seemed ready to argue before a sizably yawn cut her efforts short. She blushed sheepishly before finally agreeing with Zero. She bid goodnight to all present before allowing herself to be led away. Zero's eyes flashed bright red before dulling to mix of bluish-crimson, one last look of suspicion aimed at Bella before he turned his back on them all.

"Lead the way," Alice commanded good naturedly to Kaname. The Pureblood smiled amusedly as he lead the two Cullens way. Jacob would have felt relieved at their absence if he hadn't been more nervous about who stayed behind. Bella ignored him entirely.

A throaty laugh escaped Edward. He pulled Bella into a quick and loving hug. "You, my dear, are quite the terror. That poor boy is convinced you are the most frightening thing he's ever seen."

Both Bella and Jacob found that surprising. Zero was seriously afraid of her?

"Why?" she asked incredulously. "I never did anything to him."

Edward seemed thoroughly amused by the whole thing. "That first meeting he had with you and Jacob in the woods left quite an impression. He thinks you scare Jacob, and only someone truly terrible can do that as far as he's concerned." He leaned closer to Bella, a conspiring air about him as he added, " He thinks you tripped three times on air in order to lull him into a false sense of security."

Jacob laughed before he could help himself. Bella glared at him, but Edward continued to look amused. He kissed her lightly on the forehead before stepping away. "I think I will go see the stables, actually. Jacob is quite eager to speak to you without an audience."

Jacob felt himself blush angrily. Edward didn't have to say it quite like that. Bella considered him a moment before frowning stubbornly.

"I don't want to talk to him."

Edward smiled softly at her admittance. Jacob wanted to hit him. Sure, Edward could find this whole thing amusing; he wasn't trying to explain why he was acting like an idiot to someone who'd never been anything but nice to him.

"Yes you do. Trust me. This will make you feel much better," he promised.

Bella still didn't look convinced, but she said nothing this time. Edward calmly ambled away in the direction his siblings had disappeared in. That left Jacob alone with Bella for the first time in almost a week. He took a deep breathed, prepared to bare his soul if that was what it took to gain her forgiveness.

* * *

The next chapter should be out fairly soon. I'm exited to read the next Twilight book to see how Stephanie's characters end up as opposed to how I'm imagining them ending up. By the way, I saw her this last weekend at a convention! She and the actors from Twilight were answering questions and promoting the movie. It was awesome for a Twilight fan, and there were so many people dressed up in the Vampire Knight uniforms!


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 11

Bella looked less then amused. Her lips were turned down in a stubborn frown that encouraged very little conversation. The rhythmic, impatient taping of her foot as she stared at him made Jacob want to crawl out of sight and hide. Never before had there been a time when Bella was angry at Jacob that he actually felt he deserved.

"Well?" she asked irritably. "Do you have something you want to say, or can I go now?"

Jacob flinched slightly. Bella had to be seriously upset if she was being that short with him.

"I…well, you see…I" he stammered. The words stuck in his suddenly tight throat and refused to budge. This shouldn't have been so hard, but it really was. Admitting he was wrong felt like agreeing with Bella's transformation. He didn't agree, but he also didn't disagree enough to cut himself off from his best friend.

"You what?" said Bella. She sounded less angry and more curios now. She didn't often get to see Jacob so out of his depth like this.

"I'm sorry!" he shouted hurriedly, the words bleeding together so that they sounded like one instead of two.

Bella blinked, her mouth falling open in slight surprise before suspicion had her closing it again.

"What are you sorry for Jacob?" she asked carefully. There was a warning in that question that was impossible to miss.

Two quick strides brought them together, Jacob's arms pulling Bella in close. She didn't relax into the embrace at all and that, more then anything, almost crushed what little hope for forgiveness Jacob had.

"For everything," he choked. "I'm sorry for everything. I love you Bella. It doesn't matter if you're human or vampire. You're the best friend I've ever had and I'm so sorry that I didn't realize that until now."

For a moment everything was still, only the sound of his ever increasing heart beat filling the silence. And then Bella was holding him as well, her arms hugging so tightly that they actually kind of hurt. She gave a hiccupping little laugh that sounded more like a sob as warm fingers ran threw her hair.

"I missed you, Jake. I missed you so much," she croaked.

He nodded, before realizing the action couldn't be seen. "I missed you too. I should have been around to see you get married."

Bella nodded, her head bobbing against his shoulder. "I wish you had been there. It just wasn't the same without you yelling 'I object'."

Jacob laughed for real this time. Things suddenly seemed beautiful and so much simpler. "I always knew your like would be boring without me in it."

Bella pulled away, grinning at the slight attempt of a joke. If it were still possible, she would have been crying. Instead she caught Jacob's hand and pulled him to the fountain, where they both sat on the ledge. They spent some much needed time catching up, comfortable with each other once again. That was the magic of Bella's friendship; she always found it in her hart to forgive his mistakes.

The wedding had been old fashion and elegant to the extreme. Bella cringed in remembrance of Alice's decorations, which had included a small forest's worth of flowers. It had been perfect, save the conspicuous absence of one friend. She beamed when Jacob admitted honestly that he wished he had been there, especially since the majority of his pack had been. Little Seth, one of the newer member to awaken to his heritage and undercover hero-worshipper of Edward, insisted on going to the wedding. None of the other wolves had been willing to let him attend alone. The pack was doing fine, apparently two new members were added to there ranks during his absence. He tried not to feel too much like they were replacing him. After all, it wasn't like the pack asked him to pick up and leave them.

She started to say something about visitors, Italy slipping into the sentence before another thought seemed to cut the first one off.

"If you come home you can meet the whole family!" Bella exclaimed excitedly.

Jacob grinned along with her. Meet the whole family? As if he hadn't already?

In turn Jacob filled Bella in on the happenings of Cross academy. He considered withholding his dislike of Kaname simply because he wanted to make a concerted effort not to insult bloodsuckers in front of Bella, but in the end he changed his mind. After all, he didn't dislike Kaname because he drank blood, he disliked Kaname because of how he treated Zero. At the mention of the unhappy vampire Bella frowned.

"Zero is…different, isn't he? Alice and Jasper really like him, and Yuki seems to be good friends with him, but Kaname doesn't seem to like him very much."

"You noticed too?" said Jacob humorlessly.

Bella nodded. "But Zero doesn't really acknowledge it either. He's so quiet! The only time I heard him speak was when he butt into our conversation and told Yuki to go to sleep."

"That was a bit surprising. Zero might not have been particularly outgoing but he never struck Jacob as shy. Hell, first time the guy spoke he started tossing threats around. Edward must not have been exaggeration when he said Bella unnerved Zero.

"Zero hasn't been a vampire very long, and changing into one wasn't really his idea," Jacob admitted.

"Oh," Bella whispered. It was clear from her tone that she had come to some sort of realization. "That's why you get along better with him; because he didn't ask to be like this," she said, gesturing towards herself.

Jacob shrugged. That was a definite part of it, without a doubt, but not all of it. He empathized with Zero, but it was more then just that. There was a pull about him that just made it hard to leave him alone. Between his own curiosity and Yuki's almost overwhelming affection for him, it was inevitable that Zero would become a friend.

"In the beginning I thought that by watching him I could find out how you would deal with the transformation, but it sounds like you handled it better."

Bella actually looked a bit surprised by that. "But he had the blood tablets to eat when he was hungry."

Jacob shook his head. "He can't eat them. They make him sick."

"So he hunts bares and things like the Cullens do?"

Bears? Edward ate bears? The mental image of Whiny the Pooh running for his life away from Edward flashed through Jacob's mind. Well, it was better than humans, but somehow the thought of Edward sucking on a giant grizzly just seemed wrong.

"Not that I know of," Jacob admitted.

"So how does he eat?"

"He doesn't."

Bella looked confused at first before that confusion slowly warped into horror. "But the thirst when you first get turned the thirst is so intense that it hurts. He's going to drive himself crazy if he doesn't eat," she whispered.

Jacob nodded sadly. "And that's the problem. He wont eat, but he has to."

"Edward will take him hunting as soon as he gets back from the stables" she said firmly.

For a moment Jacob was floored. Here was a problem he had been trying to solve for weeks and in less then an hour Bella had a solution. He grinned in equal parts pride and relief, utterly grateful for his renewed friendship. No mater what mistakes she might make along the way, no one could claim that Bella didn't try to help as many people as she could.

"In fact, lets go get him now. The less time Zero has to wate to eat the better," she continued. In one swift motion she was on her feet and heading in the direction the Cullens and Kaname had left in.

"I bet I can still beat you in a foot race to the stables," Jacob challenged, grinning despite himself.

Bella glanced at him over her shoulder before smirking. "Not a chance," she said brightly before dashing away.

Jacob won the race, thought it was a close call. In the end the fact that he knew his way to the stables gave him the edge he needed to beat Bella without transporting. She started down the wrong path and had to double back. All three Cullens and their guide were waiting for them outside the stables. Alice beamed when she saw Jacob, but for some reason it was Edward's brief smirk of amusement that got to Jacob. He couldn't decide if it was comradery or irritation that he felt for the husband of his best friend. Maybe it was a combination of the two.

"Edward," Bella cried as she flew past Jacob. She would have tripped if said vampire hadn't caught her.

"Yes?" he asked, smiling fondly at her as she extracted herself from his arms.

"Jacob and I need to ask a favor of you. Can you and I take Zero hunting? He can't eat the blood tablets and no one explained about grizzlies to him," she said somewhat breathlessly.

"Hunting?" Kaname asked carefully. He stepped forward, a slight frown narrowing his features. Jacob would have snickered at the obvious misconception he must have come to, if it hadn't put Bella in a potentially difficult situation.

"Yes, hunting. We used to drink the blood of bears and other large animals instead of people before we found out about the blood tablets," Alice clarified.

Her small hands found their way to her hips as her head cocked slightly to the side.

"Actually, Jasper and I could take him hunting. That would give us a chance to talk to him," she said, sounding pleased with her idea.

Edward shrugged. "I don't see a problem with that, as long as you don't" he added to Jacob.

The truth was, Jacob wasn't shore he didn't have a problem with that. For the past week he'd been trying to keep Jasper and Alice away from Zero. What was to keep them from doing something him when they were all alone together out in the woods? What if they pulled the same sort of stunt that Kaname had?

Alice blinked slightly. "Oh, you're coming too?" she said, turning to Jacob.

For a moment he didn't know what to say. Edward's ability to read minds was disconcerting, but Alice's ability to know the future was just as bad. The only thing that was bearable was knowing that she couldn't see the future of a werewolf. When one was involved, the future she saw went blank. Her vision of the upcoming hunting trip must have just gone empty.

"Yeah," he said firmly.

Alice smiled. "Good. We can go now if you know where to find Zero."

"He'll be with Yuki still," Kaname said simply.

Jacob tried not to feel annoyed at his interaction. Instead he bid Bella good-by and gestured for Jasper and Alice to follow. He said nothing to them as they walked to Yuki's dorm. Most of the students were still asleep, so there was no danger of running into the dorm's RA. She had a tendency to try to be too friendly with Jacob. It make him annoyed, but Yuki and Zero both found it amusing.

It didn't take much to find the vampire in question. He and Yuki never seemed to make it past the first floor lounge. They sat on one of the much more plebian couches together. Yuki had her hand curled around Zero's, her head resting on his shoulder. She looked completely at ease, but Zero seemed suddenly very unconvertible with there audience.

"What are you all doing here?" Yuki asked sleepily.

Alice smiled brightly at the girl. "We were hoping to kidnap Zero, actually."

Yuki blinked, her fatigue making it slightly more difficult for her to deduce what Alice meant. Zero, on the other hand, had no problem understanding. He almost seemed to sink into the couch like an angry cat, his eyes narrowed.

"What?" he demanded.

Jacob stepped forward quickly, intent on defusing the situation. Zero looked incredibly irritated by the two vampire's presence.

"They want to take you hunting, Zero."

Zero bristled furiously, half standing, but Yuki's wait kept him on the couch. "Hunting?"

"Yes. For bears and mountain lions, dear even," Alice chirped.

The outrage at what he thought the Cullens were asking of him drained away from Zero to be replaced with wary confusion. He looked to Jacob searchingly, but he didn't seem any more at ease with what ever he found in the werewolf's expression. Yuki, still more asleep then awake, smiled excitedly and squeezed Zero's hand. He glanced back at her, hi eyes a bright, glowing red.

"That sounds fun, Zero. You aren't going to actually huts anything and I bet it would be a good way for you guys to get to know each other," she chirped.

Seeing his opportunity, Jacob added, "Exactly! That was the plan. Plus, I'll be ther too and we shouldn't be gone long. It's to promote friendship and all that."

Zero looked torn between shock that Jacob was supporting this venture and stubborn refusal to agree to it. The latter was squashed almost instantly by Yuki. She pulled her hand out of his and stretched them over her head as she sat up. With yon she rose to her feet and turned back to the vampire on the couch.

"You'll have lots of fun Zero. Come tell me all about it when you get back."

Alice took action instantly. Acting on the assumption that Yuki's agreement was as good as Zero agreeing himself, she grabbed the younger vampire's arm and pulled him to his feet. The action caught Zero so unprepared that all he could to was stair at her. Jasper hovered behind Alice's shoulder, ready to intervene if Zero should decide to attack.

There was no danger of that. Not with Yuki waving her sleepy good-by to them as Alice bodily dragged Zero from the dorm.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

"Make sure your pounce hard and fast. They'll never know what hit them," Alice advised.

She walked just ahead of the small group, leading them towards the scent that wafted from just beyond the trees. Jacob, Zero, and the two Cullens were deep in the woodsy hills that surrounded Cross Academy. Night waned slowly into morning and the first catch was about to be made. Getting Zero to agree to this had been difficult, but in the end Jacob managed to find a way to get his friend to go along with the plan, however unwillingly.

"Alright. About a hundred yards in front of us are five deer. Jacob, Zero, you're on. Do you need to see how I do it?" Alice asked, peering over her shoulder at the two in question.

"Nope. We're good," Jacob said firmly.

Zero looked nervous and uncomfortable with the whole concept of this hunt, and if he found a way to delay the process he would use it. Better to throw him into things head first. Besides, hunting like this wasn't that big a deal. The entire time spent as a wolf Jacob had been forced to hunt the old fashioned way; with his teeth. This was perfectly natural, nothing to worry about.

If only Zero would believe him.

"I bet you won't even be able to catch one," Jacob teased, elbowing the shorter boy competitively.

Zero glared at him. He didn't look ready to go sprinting after a meal any time soon.

"I mean, with no gun and the sort of scrawny legs you've got? I bet you can't even run as fast as I can when I'm a wolf."

Red eyes narrowed. "I don't need a gun to beat you at anything, and you barely outpace a snail, even when you're a wolf."

Bingo. Jacob suppressed a grin of triumph. All it took to get Zero to cooperate were a few well aimed insults. For such a quiet guy he had a shocking competitive streak. As long as Jacob could feed on that and use it to manipulate Zero into doing what he needed to do, this trip would go smoothly.

"Alright, tiny. I'll give you a head start, because I'm that generous. First one to catch a deer wins."

Zero rolled his eyes impatiently, apparently disgusted with Jacob's attitude. Jasper tilted his head in Alice's direction, and then Zero was off like a shot. Jacob ignored the two Cullens as he stripped off his sweatpants ( the only thing he currently had on), strapped them to his leg with the drawstrings and leapt after his friend. The fiery burn of the transformation came and went before his feet returned to the ground.

Zero was half a football field away already and closing in quickly on the deer. The animals scattered when they caught sight of the danger, but it was already too late. Despite his earlier goading, Jacob held back, away from the pray. This was a trip for Zero, he should be the first to catch something. As always, when in his wolf form the urge to give into the change was strong. There was absolutely no doubt in Jacob's mind that he could bring down every single one of the fleeing deer in seconds, but he resisted.

Zero was doing a fine job of that all on his own anyway. He slammed into one of the larger animals, bringing it down instantly. An audible snap sounded on impact and the deer went limp. Two long strides brought a second deer down beneath Jacob's jaws, but he focused more on Zero than his own catch.

Step one of the hunt had gone by smoothly enough, but step two seemed to have come to a halt. Zero stared down at the dead animal unblinkingly. He looked confused, maybe even a little disturbed, like he knew how the deer had gotten there but still didn't quite believe that he'd been the one to kill it. Jacob felt a jolt of dread go through him. Zero wasn't going to drink the blood. Already he looked seconds away from a panic attack.

Before Jacob could move away from his own kill Alice and Jasper found their way to Zero's side. Alice placed a slim hand on his upper arm and guided Zero closer to the animal, the way a mother would coax a finicky child into eating. The alarm in his red eyes vanished as Jasper's power soothed over the situation.

"The first time is the hardest, but one bite and it'll all be over with," he promised.

"It doesn't taste that bad and this way no one gets hurt. Just think of this as eating venison," Alice encouraged.

"But then there's no going back," Zero almost whispered. His red eyes stared fixedly at the deer's neck, right where the main artery lie.

"Zero, there's already no going back." Jasper sounded truly sorry for that. For the first time Jacob could feel a slight twinge of sympathy for the blonde. Had his transformation been like Zero's; unwanted and painful?

The deer was bleeding now. Alice's strong nails slit a small gash in its neck that allowed the smell of still warm blood into the air. Zero lost the fight instantly. Jacob forced himself not to look away as he drank from the deer's neck. This is perfectly natural, he repeated to himself. So Zero drank his food instead of chewing it, that shouldn't make Jacob feel uneasy.

"Are you still hungry?" Alice asked gently once Zero pulled away from his meal.

Silvery-blond hair nodded only once. Alice looked up at Jacob expectantly, her eyes moving from his face to the deer at his feet and back again. The message was clear. Trying very hard not to puncture the dear's flesh and spill any blood, Jacob scooped the animal up in his jaws and carried it over to Zero. His friend refused to make eye contact when he pulled the deer away from Jacob. The meal was over in a surprisingly short time, leaving Jacob no opportunity to question his decision to bring Zero out here.

Zero sat back on his heels and wiped the blood off his mouth. For the first time in over two weeks his eyes were the blue-gray shade that they should be. The dark circles had disappeared from around them and a slight color returned to his skin. He looked healthy in a way that he hadn't in all the time that Jacob had known him. Could that really be because Zero finally ate?

Jacob padded forward and shoved his nose into his friend's side, tipping him over good naturedly. The vampire smiled every so slightly, his expression searching for any hint that Jacob disapproved of what he'd just done. There was no disapproval to be found. The grin grew stronger as Zero swatted at the large nose. He missed intentionally. For the first time Zero actually looked relaxed.

"Now that you're finally full, I think it would be a good time to discuss your power," said Jasper smoothly.

Zero froze, the action contrasted by Jacob's head wiping around to stare at the Cullens. What power? No one mentioned anything about a power.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Zero said slowly.

This didn't deter Jasper in the slightest. " I assumed as much, actually. You're using it too erratically for it to be something that you knew about."

"No," Zero insisted. "I don't have a power."

An unreadable glance passed between Alice and Jasper. Jacob could feel his fur begin to bristle. This must have been what Jasper was talking about when he called Zero 'interesting'. If Zero did have a power that he couldn't control it would undoubtedly interest Jasper. The guy probably enjoyed knowing there was someone as messed up as he was wandering around. How much more pleased would Jasper be if he discovered that Zero had to struggle to abstain from human blood as well?

"The fact of the matter is that you do have a power. It's similar to my own, actually, and that's how I recognized it in you," Jasper continued. He sounded like he was trying to coax a skittish animal out of bolting.

Zero climbed to his feet beside Jacob's much larger wolf form. "If I had any power at all, that ass Kuran would have said something about it before now."

Alice shook her head, her short hair bobbing in the wake of the action. "I don't think he would. He strikes me as the non-interference type."

Zero snorted in clear disagreement. Jacob found himself torn. He wanted to interject in this conversation, explain how he had been at Cross Academy and around Zero for months without seeing any trace of a power. On the same token, he was hesitant to change out of his wolf form in case anything got out of hand.

The mounting tension in Zero's shoulders drained away. He looked calm and relaxed again, almost to the point of drifting off to sleep. He glanced at Jacob, a not-quite question in his eyes. Jasper stepped forward slowly, his hands in plain sight, a clear indication that he was trying to be as not threatening as possible.

"You're feeling much calmer now, aren't you?" he asked Zero.

Zero nodded.

"That's because of my ability. I can affect the emotions of those around me."

Jacob growled in warning. He didn't know what Jasper was planning, but he didn't like it.

"You can do something similar. For some reason you seem to make people feel less violent towards you specifically. It's hard to explain, but from what I can gather it appears to be a defense mechanism."

Zero blinked and gave his head a clearing shake. The calm look was gone, replaced with anger and slight unease. "Do you have any idea how many people have tried to kill me?" he asked incredulously.

"Yes, but no one ever has," Alice countered pointedly. "Think about it, even the vampire that changed you could have drank you dry and left you to die, but she didn't."

Zero stared at her, some of his disagreement slipping away. "How would you know?"

"We spoke to the Chairman. You've been in plenty of situations where someone could have killed you, but then didn't. You're power helps you to survive in any way that it can. It manipulates people's emotions towards you and interests in you. It's been happening instinctively so far. The first time I saw you, you made one of the Night Class girls go from seriously wanting to kill you to feeling utterly obsessed with you. The intensity that she felt towards you was still present, it was just redirected to a less lethal outlet," Jasper explained.

Zero looked slightly ill. "Obsessed?" he said blankly, his eyes far away. Jacob couldn't tell if it was the disturbing Night Class girl or if it was something more that was weighing on his mind.

"The Chairman told us about the vampire that turned you," Alice said softly. "You're the only one she turned, everyone else she killed. She came back to find you at the school. Again, she could have killed you, but she didn't."

"That doesn't prove anything," Zero murmured. He wasn't looking at anyone now, he was staring down at some point off to the right.

Maybe it did.

Jacob tried to think back to the night he first met Zero, tried to focus on every detail of it. That had been less than two weeks after Bella's announcement of her impending marriage to Edward. Jacob hated all vampires at that time, more than he ever had before. That being the case, it made very little sense for him to have let Zero live, especially when he'd begged Jacob to kill him.

And then there was that time in the room, when he first saw Zero as a human and not a wolf. That unexplained feeling of vertigo that nearly knocked Jacob off his feet. He's been fixated on Zero, but for some inexplicable reason there hadn't been anything violent in that fixation. The same thing happened when they were in the stables, and he _had_ wanted to hurt Zero at first that time.

Dread began to curl deep in his stomach.

"If you let me, I can show you how to control it. I can help you learn how to affect people, and more importantly, how not to," Jasper offered, Alice nodding incorrigibly behind his shoulder.

Zero stared at the ground, his expression closed off. That, more than any angry outburst he could have made, sent a jolt of alarm through Jacob. Just as quickly, that alarm turned into something half-pained and almost suspicious. If Zero did have the power to manipulate people's emotions who was to say that Jacob was concerned because he actually felt that way and not because Zero _wanted_ him to feel that way? Every interaction they had up until this moment was suddenly suspect. Zero might actually be a terrible person that Jacob only thought he liked because he was being forced to.

What if the same was true for Yuki? He almost moaned in misery at the mere thought. Yuki _loved_ Zero. If what Jasper said was true that love might very well be misdirected hate. There was no telling who had fallen under Zero's influence without him even knowing it. The whole school could have been affected.

"Calm down, Jacob," Jasper soothed.

Instantly the panic growing in the werewolf ebbed away. Some less calm part of Jacob was proud that he could still feel slightly annoyed at Jasper's emotional influence, even if he couldn't get too worked up over it now.

"The only people Zero could or would effect with his power are those that seriously meant him harm. I doubt that petty squabbles and dislike would trigger his power."

Zero looked relieved at this, his eyes darting to Jacob and then away.

Now it was Jacob's turn to feel miserable. Nice of Jasper to allow that emotion, he thought sourly. There was no way he could tell Zero that in all likelihood the power had affected him. He'd had every intention of killing Zero at their first meeting. The only explanation Jacob could come up with for the strange way he'd reacted to their second meeting was that, as a human, he would logically feel more than as a wolf. Emotions were muted in his animal form. In all likelihood Zero's power had been affecting him as strongly as a wolf as it did as a person, he just hadn't realized it.

"If I do have a power, and I'm not saying that I think I do, how do you intend to help me with it?" Zero asked uncertainly.

Jasper smiled, pleased that Zero was at least asking questions and acting slightly interested in the whole prospect. "Its just a matter of helping you figure out how it feels to use you're power, and then giving you someone to practice it on. You can't affect me the way you can other people because of the similarities between our skills, so I'd be a perfect person to work with."

Zero hesitated slightly before giving one, sharp nod. "Alright. Teach me."


	14. Chapter 14

I'm sorry it took so long to get this out. School started up again and my classes are trying to kill me! three tests all on the same day. Not fun. This is the beginning of the end people. Slowly but surely it will wrap itself up.

"And then he asked Jasper to teach him how to use his power," Jacob relayed miserably.

Bella didn't seem to understand his pain. They sat on the large fountain once more, the setting sun twinkling through the trees. Every so often a ray would fall on Bella's face and make it sparkle. If Jacob hadn't been feeling so miserable already that might have given him cause for pause, after all he'd only ever seen the Cullen's sparkle like that in the sunlight and even then it was rare. Their home in Washington very rarely had any sun to speak of.

"And you're upset about this because?" she asked.

Jacob couldn't bring himself to say ' because I wanted to kill him when we first met, so he must have used it on me' out loud. He glanced miserably from Bella to the ground.

"It's not like he'd have used it on you. You said yourself that his power only works on people that wanted to hurt him and--" Bella's voice trailed away in realization. "You did want to hurt him, didn't you?"

Jacob nodded without looking up. Bella scooted closer and wrapped him in a supportive hug. She rested her cheek against his head and spoke, the vibrations of her voice running through Jacob and calming his fear despite himself.

"You don't have anything to worry about. Zero is your friend."

"But what if he's only my friend because he messed with my head and made me like him? He could be some crazy virgin killing blood sucking monster and I'd still have to think he was a saint or something," Jacob insisted, his head leaning back into Bella comfortingly.

The vampire snorted in amusement. "Virgin killing blood sucker? Jacob, do you honestly believe that? You don't even think he's a saint now. Just yesterday you said he was as dense as a red brick and so stubborn you wanted to smack him," she pointed out.

Jacob shrugged, his eyes flickering down and to the side. That was true. When he talked about this with Bella she made it awfully hard to find something to be upset about. That was the beauty of her friendship; she almost always managed to make him feel better. It didn't happen often, but every once in a while she would do something or say something, like she was doing now, that made Jacob realize how much more mature Bella could be. She was older than he was, and most of the time that didn't make much of a difference, but sometimes those added years gave her the perspective to say exactly the right thing to make a situation better.

"I really don't think you have to worry about Zero's power," she said firmly.

He grunted in response, trying hard not to feel too much like a moody child. Footsteps caught his attention and Jacob looked up in time to see Yuki practically skipping over. She waved when their eyes met, a smile brightening her whole face. She bounced before them, her eyes flashing with excitement as Bella removed her arms from around Jacob.

"I don't know how you did it, but Zero's in the best mood I've ever seen him in," she practically crowed.

Jacob gave a humorless, huffy laugh. Of course Zero was in a good mood. Every one in the world was in a god mood when Jacob wasn't.

"Jasper, Alice and Jacob took him hunting last night," Bella supplied helpfully.

"Hunting?" something in the sound of Yuki's voice immediately caught Jacob's attention.

Her smile was still present, but there was an edge to it now, as if she were very studiously keeping it present. Didn't she remember last night, had she been too close to sleep when they took Zero away from her? What did she think they were hunting?

"Yeah, for bears and deer, that sort of thing. I hear Zero's a fast runner, even outpaced Jacob," said Bella, easily defusing the situation.

Relief flashed through Yuki's eyes as the smile turned real once more. "It did him so much good. He actually spoke to Kaname-san without getting angry!" she sounded awed by her own revelation.

Jacob couldn't stop the smirk that turned up the sides of his lips. He would have loved to see the look on Kaname's face when Zero didn't rise to what ever bate had been presented.

Yuki took an extra step forward, wrapping her arms around Jacob's neck and hugging him tightly. For all her cheerfulness and optimism, the simple fact remained that Yuki worried constantly about Zero. She knew how hard his life had been so far, knew how hard it was for him to come to terms with what he was, and anything that made his existence a little bit easier was a blessing. There were very few times in Jacob's life when he felt like a hero, but Yuki had a knack for always making him see the best in himself. With far more pride in himself than he'd had a moment before, Jacob returned the hug just as strongly. The uncanny ability to cheer people up was probably what endeared this girl to Zero in the first place. Maybe, in another life, if circumstances had been different, it could have endeared her to Jacob too.

"Our prefect duties are going to start soon, it's almost time for the class switch," Yuki said, drawing back from the embrace.

Jacob nodded before waving the comment way lethargically. More hormonal girls giggling over people that wanted to eat them. Who would want to miss that? Even in his head, the sarcasm didn't seem to cover enough of his disgust. Prefect duty sucked. Heh, pun intended.

"All right, if you want to head out I'll be there in a minute," he promised.

Yuki nodded, gave Bella a quick good-bye and then hurried away. Distantly, Jacob wondered how Yuki managed to be so energetic all the time. He was a werewolf and he still felt the need to sleep through classes after a night of acting like a warden for the Night Class. When did Yuki actually find the time to sleep?

Bella stood up and stretched. Her eyes flickered off to the left, away from the buildings and towards the more woodsy area of the Academy. Bella's brow rose speculatively. Curious now, Jacob turned in the same direction, interested in what might have caught Bella's attention. The smell of vampire was strong, and it took him a moment to realize that he could distinguish the particular vampires in question.

"What's Kaname doing hiding out with your lover-boy?" he wondered allowed.

Bella shrugged. Something, but not quite, mischievous fluttered through her amber eyes. "Want to go find out?"

"Are you suggesting that we go eavesdrop?" Jacob gasped, a hand raising to cover his open mouth.

"Yeah, pretty much."

A roguish grin curled the corners of Jacob's lips. "I like how you think."

They crept silently through the underbrush, amusing themselves with their new challenge. Bella seemed to be trying hard to hold back a giggle as they went while Jacob, for his part, made sure that they stayed upwind of there goal. As much fun as it was to joke around with Bella, there was still an ulterior motive to his actions. Would he be able to sneak up on the vampires? Was that even possible with Edward's talent and their naturally heightened senses?

Voices reached them long before the two vampires in question came into sight.

"The blood tablets are an amazing accomplishment. I know they've helped my brother immensely since he came here. I'm sure my father would find them fascinating, he's far more inclined towards science than the rest of my family," Edward said conversationally.

Kaname gave a slight chuckle. "Well, you must take some back with you. Your family is more than welcome to order the tablets on a permanent basis. I wouldn't want to deprive someone of something so beneficial," he said presently.

Jacob almost thought he sounded sincere. He and Bella crouched behind a stout hedge, upwind from both vampires and well out of sight. A small gap between leaves afforded them a mostly clear view of the conversation.

Edward regarded Kaname speculatively before he answered. "You know, I believe you're quite serious about that."

Now it was Kaname's turn to look intrigued by the comment. "That would most likely be because I am," he said calmly, but there was a hint of challenge buried in his tone. It was as if he were silently asking Edward to prove otherwise.

"I only made the clarification because you haven't acted as philanthropic with other ex-humans." There wasn't even a hint of accusation or anger in Edward's tone.

Bella and Jacob exchanged uneasy looks. They held their breath, striving not to be noticed. This didn't sound like a conversation they wanted to be interrupting. Besides, Jacob wanted to know how Kaname would respond to that assertion. Edward was talking about Zero, after all.

"Other ex-humans? You mean Kiryu?"

"Zero? Yes, he's the only other ex-human I've met at this school aside from my own family."

Kaname cocked his head to the side, his eyes narrowing almost imperceptibly. He didn't look the least bit perturbed by the direction this conversation was heading.

"You and your family are very different from him. You can actually use the blood tablets. As far as my relationship with him is conserved, I must say that I think that's a rather personal matter."

Edward nodded. "I agree. Under normal circumstances I wouldn't say anything, but you seem to have a very hard time getting your point across where he's concerned and, no offence meant to Zero, he's too dense to understand subtlety. Did you know that he thinks you want nothing more than to kill him?"

Kaname went very still, watching Edward closely. Why was Edward bringing this up? Jacob knew how Zero felt about Kaname, agreed with the assessment actually, but he'd never felt the need to go tell the pureblood that. Maybe, in some warped way, Kaname thought he was being genial, but Jacob had already confronted him about that. As far as Kaname was concerned, Zero was nothing but a glorified bodyguard for Yuki. Jacob was under the opinion that that was a load of crap, but it didn't matter what he thought, it mattered what Kaname thought.

"This is none of your business," Kaname said softly, his voice velvet and cold.

Edward disregarded the comment entirely. "He's wrong, of course. You don't want to kill him. You think of him in a similar way to how you think of Yuki; like he's family. You've been trying to be helpful without letting him know it, but I don't think Zero understands tough-love very well."

Now Kaname actually did look angry. He took a step closer to Edward, discontent radiating out of him, coupled with something that Jacob could only identify as nervousness and embarrassment. Which was odd.

"You have no idea what you're talking about," Kaname actually growled.

Edward regarded the slightly taller vampire calmly. "Actually, I do." He tapped his forehead pointedly. " I'm not just insinuating this groundlessly. You don't want to hear this, but the truth is that if you don't stop being so hard on Zero something bad is going to happen to him."

Kaname snorted derisively. Jacob would have felt smug over how unsettled the pureblood must be to be reacting like that, but he was too engrossed in the conversation to think of anything else at the moment.

"Something bad? Really? Like, oh, trying to starve himself again? Or trying to shoot himself only to have Yuki stop him again?"

Jacob's breath caught in his throat. Zero tried to shoot himself? What the hell?! When did that happen?

"No," Edward hissed furiously. "Yuki can't be with him every second of every day, and she shouldn't have to be. How are you going to feel when he actually goes through with it the next time, because you made him feel like a monster one too many times? Because that's how your tough-love translates to him. How do you think Yuki isgoing to feel?"

"You give Zero too little credit. He would never do something like that to Yuki," Kaname insisted, but there was an odd hollowness lurking in his tone.

"You're underestimating your own influence. All I'm asking is that you watch what you say to him. For your own sake as much as his. You have enough guilt to deal with without adding Zero to the list."

"I don't believe a word of this." That was a lie. Kaname sounded like he believed more than he wanted to and it infuriated him.

"Ask Alice if you don't believe me. She's the one that brought the severity of the situation to my attention."

"I think I'll do just that," Kaname murmured softly and stiffly.

Jacob couldn't remember ever seeing the pureblood so unsettled, couldn't remember ever seeing him anything less than composed. Could Edward be right? Did Zero value Kaname's opinion that much, enough to hurt himself over? Was Kaname really so emotionally repressed that affection translated to dislike when it came from him? Edward had to be at least pretty damn close to being right, he could read minds after all. He wouldn't just make this stuff up…

"I have to go, class is starting. If you'll excuse me," Kaname said with forced politeness.

With a thrill of horror Jacob realized that Kaname would have to walk right past the spot he and Bella where hiding in in order to get back to the classrooms. There was no time to move before the pureblood was striding past them. He glanced to the side, taking in two pairs of guilty looks, before continuing on his way. Bella waited just long enough to be sure he was out of earshot before darting out from behind the bush and jogging to Edward's side. Jacob followed at a slightly more distracted pace.

"What was that all about?" she demanded.

Edward sighed and ran a hand through his artfully disheveled hair. He looked annoyed. "A comment from Alice got me thinking. Everything I said to him was the truth. I've never met someone with so many issues, and this self-righteous tough-love routine Kaname keeps pulling is just ridiculous. He should be intelligent enough to realize that's not the approach to take with someone that thinks as poorly about himself as Zero does."

Jacob was slightly surprised to find that he agreed whole heartedly.

* * *

Just remember, this is all narrated by Jacob. Some things are going to seem slightly different then they actually are

* * *


	15. Chapter 15

Sorry this took so long. College started again and I have got classes determined to kick my ass. Very sad. Hopefully then next update will be faster.

p.s. The hobbit comment was for by beta, who is a lord of the rings fan.

Chapter 15

The Night Class had one of the calmest transfers that Jacob could remember. Day Class girls giggled and pined as the vampires walked past as if they were rock stars, Day Class boys striving to appear as if they were not waiting on tender looks for a glimpse of one of the Night Class girls. Yuki's instructions were followed and Jacob barely had to check to be sure that all was well. Everyone behaved perfectly.

They behaved because Kaname was pissed.

He didn't do anything or say anything to imply that he was angry, but that didn't matter. The very air around him was tense and ready to snap. Everyone, even the Day Class students, could tell that something was wrong, even if they couldn't tell that Kaname was the source of the unease. The Pureblood smiled and acknowledged everyone that made eye contact with a slight incline of his head, but he stayed pointedly silent.

Jacob couldn't help but wonder if Alice had spoken to him yet. She pranced to his left, chattering excitedly with Ruka, that Night Class girl that resembled Rosaline, or Rosalie, or whatever the hell the other Cullen sister's name was. He wanted to ask what Alice's warning was about, but had the sneaking suspicion that he wouldn't be answered.

Jasper walked with Zero, their 'training' most likely started earlier during the night. They stopped on their way to class to address Yuki. The small, almost bashfully pleased grin on Zero's face was enough to make Kaname and his temper tantrum seem unimportant. Jacob made his way over to his fellow prefect and her audience, Bella and Edward lost somewhere in the crowd of day class students.

"--will be leaving next week," Jasper said smoothly.

Yuki nodded, looking slightly sad. "We'll miss you guys. You'll come back and visit us, won't you?"

"Of course. Your school and its students have captivated my family. Hopefully you'll get to meet the rest of my family the next time we come," he said.

Zero smirked, looking as if he almost didn't mind Jasper's presence. He leaned down closer to Yuki and teased, "You can try to give them detention too."

Yuki blushed indignantly, swatting at his arm.

"I only did that once, the first day that they got here. I didn't realize that they weren't night class students."

"I think you should give 'em as many detentions as you can get away with," Jacob said firmly, but a note of playfulness crept into his tone.

Three pairs of eyes turned to take him in. Both Yuki and Zero looked pleased to see him, Jasper giving a light "hello". Jacob felt an all consuming wave of peace curl through him. In this one moment, with Zero happy and smiling, with Yuki excited and loving, with Bella as his friend once more, everything seemed right within the world. So what if Kaname was an arrogant idiot? So Edward had turned Bella into a vampire. At least now nothing could hurt her. Everyone was safe and sound.

"You're going to be late for class," Yuki noted as Kaname, the last of the Night Class students to pass, flashed her a serene smile.

Zero nodded, not moving to follow the other students at all. Instead he reached out and ruffled Yuki's hair. There was something very personal about the gesture, as if it was a fulfillment of a need to simply touch and be touched. Yuki reached her hands up to settle her hair once more, Zero's fingers still tangled in it. For one fleeting moment it looked like she would take the slight step forward and close the gap between them. Jacob almost felt the need to look away.

Zero withdrew his hand first, a hint of a blush creeping up along his cheeks. He nodded to Jacob and Jasper before walking off to class. Yuki blushed visibly, her eyes following his retreating back.

"So, how about you patrol the halls and I do the grounds?" Jacob asked. It was the most tactful way he could think of to send Yuki after Zero, because it was obvious that she wanted to follow him. Jacob's first impulse to tell Yuki to pull Zero out of class and jump him already didn't seem like it would go over well. The two of them were like middle schoolers with their shyness about romance.

"Ok…yeah, yeah. I'll do that," Yuki murmured distractedly. She didn't even look back before hurrying off into the building.

Jasper chuckled. "Alice compared Zero to a skittish kitten the first time she met him, but I think she might actually be mistaken in this instance. Yuki seems more like the cat and Zero's the little mouse about to be caught."

Jacob couldn't decide if he was shocked that Jasper spoke so much in a single moment without Alice there to buffer him or shocked because Jasper was actually commenting on people's love lives. He settled for a bit of both.

Jasper smirked at him before adding, "You feel the same way, Jacob. Maybe you should cheer her on?"

Since when did Jasper decide to break his vow of silence? Since when did Jasper actually have a personality? The suddenly quite vocal Cullen laughed as he followed the Night Class's path, no doubt in search of his equally odd wife.

Once again, prefect duties passed by with little trouble. The only Night Class student brave enough, or perhaps oblivious enough, to face Kaname's wrath for stepping out of line was Aido. Halfway through his lecture he slipped out of the class room, past Yuki, and made a desperate bid for freedom. He got no further than the front step before Jacob caught him.

"You don't understand! Calculus is boring!" Aido whined as he shuffled back into the classroom.

It didn't surprise Jacob in the least when the spoiled little vampire took his time on his way back to the Moon Dorms after class to give him a dirty look. What did surprise Jacob was finding Yuki and Zero flanked by all four Cullens. Yuki seemed perfectly happy and, oddly enough, Zero didn't look all that bothered by the presence of the other vampires.

"Zero's coming back to the chairman's with us to help me with my math. Do you mind if they come too?" Yuki asked hesitantly, her eyes flickering back to include the four new additions to the study group.

The fact that she acknowledged his discomfort with these particular vampires and was willing to let him make the decision greatly touched Jacob. He knew that Yuki had no reservations with any of the Cullens, and that she would be just as happy with all of them there as she would be without them. It was a mark of friendship that she would even give Jacob a say in the matter at all. But, surprisingly, Jacob found that he didn't have a problem with any of the present company. He might not be particularly fond of Jasper and Alice in particular, but that didn't mean he didn't want to have anything to do with them. Maybe Yuki and Bella's acceptance of vampires was contagious, or maybe the fact that he was now closely associated with two vampires himself was to blame.

Jacob flung his arm around Yuki's shoulders and then, because he was close enough, did the same to Zero. It was slightly awkward, with both being shorter than he was, and Yuki verging dangerously close to hobbit size. Yuki grinned up at him while Zero looked resigned to the treatment.

"I guess I'll just have to suffer through their presence this once. I wouldn't want to jeopardize your math grade after all," he sighed dramatically.

They hobbled to the Chairman's like that, Yuki and Zero both tripping over Jacob's feet as they walked up the stairs and into the private apartment. The table normally designated for study times was not large enough to accommodate the new additions to the group. Instead Alice and Jasper dropped calmly into the small love seat set against one wall, Bella and Edward taking the seat opposite. Jacob settled himself beside Yuki and Zero, calmly pulling the thick math book out of the bag Yuki kept beside the table.

Alice showed very little interest in helping Yuki with her math, preferring instead to leave that job up to Zero. She, after growing bored with listening to the problems, flitted up behind Yuki and started playing with her hair. Jasper and Edward looked like they might be dozing off, if it weren't for the fact that Jacob knew the Cullens didn't need to sleep. Bella sat tucked up against Edward's side, head resting on his shoulder and eyes closed. None of them seemed interested in anything aside from actually being in the room. What was the point in asking to come help Yuki wither her math when all of them were just lazing around like overgrown house-cats?

"Zero is an excellent teacher. We have nothing to add to his explanations," Edward said calmly.

Jacob thought something very derogatory in his general direction, knowing the vampire was listening. Edward chuckled in response and leaned his cheek against Bella's hair.

While Jacob no longer found Edward's ability to read minds, and his annoying tendency to answer questions that should have been left rhetorical, all that shocking, Yuki and Zero where not quite as desensitized. Yuki blinked owlishly between her fellow prefect and new friend, wincing slightly when Alice pulled a little too tightly on her hair in order to French braid it. Zero, on the other hand, locked distinctly uncomfortable. For the life of him, Jacob couldn't tell if it was the fact that Edward was a mind reader or a vampire that bothered the other boy more.

"When does your class start, Yuki?" Alice asked pleasantly, tugging on another unruly strand of hair.

Yuki glanced at the clock on the wall above Jasper's head before replying," About two and a half hours."

"Don't you need to sleep before you go to class?" Jasper inquired.

Yuki shrugged, while Zero gave a firm, "Yes, but she never will."

"Don't let him bully you into sleeping in a bed like a normal person Yuki. I'd much rather sleep on a desk in class as well," Jacob teased.

Yuki gave a roll of her eyes, pointedly trying not to blush in embarrassment. Soft sniggers escaped Alice, who was now un-braiding Yuki's hair in order to redo it in a second style. All at once her small shoulders stiffened, her hands going slack as her eyes slid out of focus on a point just past Yuki's shoulder. She gave a sharp hiss of surprise or fury, Jacob couldn't tell which.

Jasper what beside Alice instantly. "What did you see?"

"See? As in, you just had a vision?" Jacob demanded. He didn't like the thought of that. It hadn't looked like a happy vision.

Alice nodded. Every eye in the room was fixed on her angry expression. "That complete bastard," she hissed. What ever she saw must have thoroughly angered her, because that was the first time that Jacob could think of where he'd heard her curse.

"Who is? What are you talking about?" Bella asked, concern evident in her stiff pose. Both she and Edward were standing and ready, but for what they were not sure yet.

Alice's eyes narrowed furiously. "He didn't listen to me at all. He couldn't have, not if he thinks this will fix anything!"

Edward gasped, the sound somehow odd when coming from him. Edward shouldn't be gasping about anything, especially no things he saw in Alice's mind. His small sister caught his eye and nodded grimly.

"Kaname's a very stupid vampire," she said waspishly.

"Kaname? Why--?" Yuki stuttered, thoroughly confused and concerned by every else's reactions.

Alice took a deep breath before she was calm enough to explain, "Kaname's going to try to kill Zero."

* * *

Keep in mind who is narrating this and who he is hanging around. Most people in that room are willing to think badly of Kaname before they are willing to think well of him (except for Yuki). Please don't hate him yet!

R&R


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 15

Absolute silence filled the room. Kaname wanted to kill Zero? As in you're-not-coming-back-buried-in-the-ground-becoming-fertilizer kill? How is that--? How could he--? Jacob as too shocked to even let himself think about the possibility of a non-living Zero. He knew Kaname could be a self-righteous ass, but a murderer? Yes, he had caught the guy nibbling on Zero before, but even then Kaname insisted he was doing it for Zero's own good. In his own warped, screwed up way the pureblood always appeared to be trying to help. Why kill someone you were willing to let drink your blood?

"That's not possible," Yuki said firmly. Under normal circumstances Jacob was willing to bet that she would have laughed such a comment off, but the tension in the room was palatable. Whether she believed it or not didn't matter as much as whether or not the others did.

"I'm sorry, but in this case you're mistaken," Edward said. He sounded just as shocked as Jacob felt.

Yuki was on her feet instantly. "Kaname would never hurt anyone, especially not Zero," she almost shouted. Her cheeks were beginning to flush with either anger or tears, with Yuki both reactions would be just as likely.

"Why do you think he wants to kill me?"

The question was calm and level. It didn't sound like Zero was talking about the possibility of being murdered at all. That in itself concerned Jacob more than whether or not Alice's vision was accurate. He tried to ignore the cold pit that twisted in his stomach as the knowledge that Zero _had_ tried to kill himself before pushed its way into the forefront of his mind. There was no way he would look at this as an opportunity to let someone else do the hard part for him, would he?

Alice hesitated slightly before answering. She didn't look at all pleased with Zero's calm either.

"He was flanked by what looked like the entire Night Class and he came right out and said 'Zero needs to die'. He looked absolutely furious," she explained.

"But…but, Kaname wouldn't do that," Yuki whispered.

Zero stood up and pulled her closer, his fingers slipping through her hair smoothly. He still didn't look the least bit perturbed.

"Don't worry Yuki, nothing's going to happen," he assured.

"Damn right nothing is going to happen, because I'm going to kill that ass before he has a chance to hurt anyone!" Jacob snarled.

Kaname had the nerve to warn him against hurting Yuki and Zero right from the very beginning. Stay away from them, make sure nothing happens to them, don't mind me as I try to eat one of them, he'd insisted. Despite that, at every opportunity to contradict himself Kaname had. He made Zero so miserable that the kid tried to off himself for peat's sake. The more miserable and suicidal that Zero felt the more anxious and stressed Yuki become. Every one would be better off without Kuran around to mess with their heads.

"No you aren't," Zero snapped, a note of frustration slipping into his tone.

He kept his hold on Yuki, being sure not to let her get any closer to Jacob. It looked like she wanted to slap her fellow prefect.

"If you try to attack him I can promise you that the only one walking away from the fight will be Kuran. If, by some miracle he didn't kill you, the rest of the Night Class would."

That actually gave Jacob cause for a moment's consideration. He hadn't factored the rest of the Night Class into his decision at all. Now that they were there Jacob still had every intention of ripping Kaname to shreds; now he'd just have to be sneaky about it.

"No one has to attack anyone," Bella said firmly.

Yuki nodded enthusiastically, obviously relieved to have found an ally. With a smoothness that Jacob could never recall her having in life, Bella slipped away from the couch and came to stand beside Alice. They exchanged fleeting glances before Bella spoke again.

"There's no way that we would win against the entire Night Class, it's ridiculous to even consider. But we can find out for sure what Kaname is planning."

Jacob snorted derisively. "Yeah? How? You going to ask him yourself?" It wasn't Bella that he was angry at, but at the moment she was the focus of his attention and so the focus of his anger.

She gave him a disapproving frown before answering, "No. We don't even have to ask. Edward and Jasper can find out every thing we need without anyone knowing."

For a moment Jacob had no idea what she was talking about. His eyes darted between the two vampires in question. Jasper nodded approvingly, while Edward frowned slightly in thought.

"That's an excellent suggestion. Edward can read his mind for information and I'll be able to tell if he's lying or being subversive," Jasper approved.

Yuki made to move away from Zero, but he refused to release her from his embrace. Whether that was in her defense or in defense of the others in the room Jacob couldn't tell. She didn't look particularly pleased with this plan either. Her small hand was clutching the arm he had wrapped around her shoulders so tightly her knuckles were turning white.

"And then what?" she demanded.

Jasper shifted to fix his intense stare directly on her. He looked utterly serious while he spoke, but each word seemed to calm Yuki. Jacob couldn't be sure, but he was willing to bet the vampire was utilizing his creepy talents on her.

"If he really does intend to hurt Zero we'll leave and we'll take Zero with us. There will be no fighting; I don't believe that Kaname would find it necessary to chase after Zero should he leave with us."

Yuki nodded slowly, leaning back into the ex-human in question. Her grip on his arm was still tight, but now it was possessive rather than angry. Zero, on the other hand, didn't look the least bit pleased with this plan either.

"What makes you think that I would run away with you? If Kuran wants a fight he'll get one, the rest of you will just stay the hell out of it," he growled.

Yuki made a small half desperate, half stressed noise as she twisted to stare up at him. Jacob wanted to hit Zero. For a smart guy he could be incredibly idiotic. Wasn't he the one insisting only a second ago that no one could get at Kaname because of the Night Class. If a werewolf and three vampires that knew how to fight weren't going to be enough, Zero all by himself wouldn't stand a chance. And if that was the point then Jacob really would hit him; hit him and then drag him off to a shrink back in Forks that would fix his head.

Edward sighed. "Zero, whether or not you believe that we intend to help you doesn't change the fact that no one in this room will let you kill yourself. Because that's exactly what you'll be doing if you try to deal with this on your own."

"If you get involved and he really does want to kill me your life will be over. None of you seem to understand what Kuran could get away with if he wanted to," Zero hissed urgently.

"Kaname-sama doesn't want to hurt anyone!" Yuki shouted in desperation.

"That's what we're going to find out," Alice declared. In an instant she was beside the sole Night Class student in the room. She slipped her arm through his in a gesture that looked supportive at the same time that it effectively restrained him. Zero looked slightly startled by the contact.

"You two go and see what's going on, Bella, Jacob and I will stay here. That way we'll all be in one place when we decide what to do," she said firmly.

The unspoken message was clear. Jasper and Edward would deal with the vampire while the rest of the group stayed and protected Zero from Kaname and himself. No one had any doubts that he would go running off and instigate if he got the opportunity; he would think he was protecting the Cullens and Jacob. This way that option would be completely removed from his hands.

Edward and Jasper nodded, pleased with Alice's plan and her unspoken stance. They spared one moment to fix Zero with a stern look, clearly meant to encourage him to stay put, before slipping out of the room. Bella moved closer to the table and the group standing around it, but Jacob moved closer to the door. It was the only way out of the room and no one was going through it without his say so. The frustrated anger on Zero's face made it clear that he realized this as well.

"Zero, don't worry. Kaname-sama would never hurt anyone," Yuki insisted. Despite the absolute certainty in her voice she looked unsettled about something else.

"Of course he wouldn't; we aren't going to give him the chance," Alice said. She pulled Zero, and Yuki still confined in his arms, backwards and down into a chair. Zero looked slightly surprised that she had been able to.

Bella set her hands down on Yuki's shoulders and gave a small, reassuring squeeze. She was rewarded with a weak smile. Oddly enough, Yuki seemed to be the one most upset by Alice's vision.

"Don't be upset, nothing bad is going to happen," she promised.

For a handful of tense, awkward moments no one spoke. Yuki still hadn't moved away from Zero yet, and he didn't seem to notice that his arms were still around her. Yuki and Zero's eyes flickered as one towards the door and then away, hers to fix guiltily on the floor and his to fix angrily on Jacob. Bella seemed to be making it a point to not acknowledge the frustrated hostility Zero was exuding.

Jacob almost found the situation amusing, in a perverse sort of way. He seemed to recall Bella being in Zero's shoes not too long ago and now she was the one acting as the undead bodyguard. Yeah, funny. Like a tumor.

"Cross," Alice said suddenly, startling Jacob out of his dark musings.

"What?" Bella questioned.

Alice crossed her arms over her chest and frowned in thought. The expression looked remarkably similar to the one Jasper had worn earlier. Her eyes seemed to turn inwards for a moment, searching through images that the others could not see as she dissected her vision once again.

"He wasn't in the vision, and that's odd. The whole Night Class was there, all of us were there with Yuki and Zero, but there was no Cross and obviously no Jacob. Why?" she murmured.

Jacob frowned as well. She brought up a good point. Why hadn't he thought of it before? Werewolves showed up as empty spots in Alice's visions, blanking them out completely. She shouldn't have been able to see the vision at all, not if he was with Zero and there was no way he was leaving his friend alone to get himself killed.

"Maybe he didn't know anything was wrong?" Yuki offered, referring hesitantly to the chairman.

A far as Jacob was concerned, it didn't matter if the crazy old man was there or not. He hadn't done a thing to protect Zero or Yuki from Kaname before, why should he be of any help now?

Alice tugged on a strand of her short hair. "If that's all it is, then I don't feel like leaving him in the dark. He might be able to talk some reason into Kaname if it comes down to it, or at the very least dissuade him from following us."

"Not going to happen, Kaname told me himself that Cross had no actual power over him," Jacob countered. He leaned his back against the door frame as he spoke, the better to survey the room.

"Kaname respects Cross more than he does anyone else," Zero said somewhat begrudgingly, as if it cost him something to admit that his pseudo-parent had any relation to the vampire at all.

Alice nodded in agreement.

"Talk to him, the chairman will straighten everything out. He'll explain that you're wrong about Kaname," Yuki insisted, suddenly energized now that she had another reason to promote Kaname's innocence.

Alice's eyes flickered around the room. They lingered a moment on Bella seriously before she seemed to come to some sort of decision. In an instant she was beside Jacob at the door. He tried not to show his surprise at how quickly she moved or how serious her expression was when she turned to him.

"No one leaves, Jacob. I'll be back in two minutes, three at the absolute most," she said.

Jacob nodded his understanding and then she was gone. Zero and Yuki seemed to freeze until there was absolutely no sound of Alice's footsteps. As soon as the last echo faded away they were on their feet. Bella blinked in surprise, her hand reaching half way to grab at Zero's sleeve before thinking better of it and letting her hand drop back down to her side.

"I'm leaving. Zero's coming too," Yuki said with a firmness that was totally foreign to her voice. Zero had finally released her from his grasp, but now she had his hand in a vice like grip. Her face was turned down so that Jacob could not see her face.

"No. No one is leaving the room. You heard Alice," he added somewhat hesitantly when Yuki did not stop her determined march forward until she was right in front of him.

"Jacob Black, I am not going to sit in here and let something happen to any of my friends because they are too stubborn to listen to reason. Now get out of the way Jacob," she said steadily.

She lifted her head enough to pin Jacob with her narrowed eyes. Something cold slid down his spine at the sight of her gaze. For one moment her eyes looked red, rather than brown. She blinked, and then it was gone. Jacob didn't move, partially because he was too surprised by Yuki's uncharacteristic forcefulness and partially because he still didn't intend to let them leave the room.

There came a crash, as glass shattered inwards and the soft thump as multiple shoes landed lightly on the wooden floor.


	17. Chapter 17

I'm so sorry this took so long to get to you guys. College is trying to kill me; too manny writng classes to deal with. I hope to get the next chapter out faster. This is the beginning of the end! I promise that everything will become clear soon, and Kaname will be back next chapter (I miss writing the kid).

Chapter 17

Shards of glass clattered to the floor, reflecting the light from the bulb on the ceiling. The glass had barely ceased its downwards descent before Jacob realized that something was terribly, horribly wrong. Four figures stood before the broken window, two small and two large. A beast of a man with an unpleasant, amused twist to his lips stood to the right. His shear bulk rivaled both Emmett Cullen and Kain. Another man with long hair that fell to his shoulders and eyes that swept the room quickly and efficiently stood to the left. Two children were situated between them. Or, they seemed like children until Jacob looked into their eyes. They were a boy and a girl, young enough to still be in middle school, with hair cut so short that it almost made them indistinguishable from one another. They were both so heart breakingly beautiful that it almost hurt to look at them. It was their eyes that made Jacob stiffen thought.

They were far from childish; they were a bright, shining red and narrowed with dislike. Something about them made Jacob certain that they had the power to act on that dislike as well.

All four were dressed in nondescript black clothes, giving them the warped appearance of some sort of cult. Jacob didn't think the impression was too far from the truth.

"Volturi," Bella whispered in shock.

Yuki, who had given a shriek of surprise when the four shattered the window, glanced sharply at her. Her hand still clutched Zero's tightly. He had moved the moment the glass broke to place himself in front of Yuki. Whoever these new comers were, he didn't intend to let them get anywhere near her.

The little girl smiled, her head tilting slightly to the side, but there was nothing pleasant about the expression. "Bella, you're so far from home. We almost had trouble finding you," she said.

Jacob's eyes darted between the little vampire and his friend. Bella's lips were pressed together in a thin line, her posture slightly stiff. She obviously knew who the newcomers were, but that didn't make Jacob feel any less nervous. If anything, her clear discomfort with their presence only made him more on edge. Bella didn't dislike people easily, and if she disliked them there was a reason.

"I didn't know she had more friends. Such odd company the Cullens keep," the little boy remarked.

Bella forced her features into some semblance of politeness and pointedly stepped in front of Jacob, Yuki and Zero. The action was far from overlooked by the four across the room. The vampire with the shoulder length hair followed her movements with his red eyes closely. He had all the characteristics of some sort of bodyguard with his sharp gaze.

"I wasn't aware that you would be trying to find me after our last meeting. I thought after visiting you in Italy after the wedding it would be some time before we had the chance to meet again," Bella said. Her tone and her choice of words were so different than normal that for a moment all Jacob could do was stare at her. Bella never spoke with that sort of forced politeness and flowery words.

Who were these vampires. She called them 'Volturi', but what did that mean?

The little girl grinned, and there was true viciousness lurking in her expression this time.

"There have been some nasty rumors going around about you and Edward Cullen. Rumors of an Immortal Child being seen with you."

Now Bella was as stiff as a board, but her expression of geniality did not waver. Immortal Child? Whatever that was it meant something to Bella, something important. No one else seemed to understand the implications thought. Yuki and Zero were tense, but the mention of a child hadn't done more than make them both more focused on what the girl was saying. Was there a little kid somehow wrapped up in all of this?

"You can see that there is no child here Jane. Obviously whoever told you those rumors was wrong," Bella countered.

The girl, Jane, cocked her head to the side, her eyes narrowing. They slid past Bella and onto the three behind her. Jacob had no idea what the little vampire wanted, but if she was going to cause problems he wouldn't hesitate to get rid of her. The red eyes slid right over him and Yuki to come to a halt on Zero.

"What is he?" she demanded sharply.

The little boy frowned also, their two larger companions shifting to focus on Zero as well now. Jacob felt his stomach do an unpleasant little flip flop as realization hit him. The Volturi looked fascinated in Zero, which could only mean one thing; his power was affecting them. Which meant, in turn, that the Volturi had intended to kill him. Jacob growled and moved instantly to stand beside Bella, in front of Yuki and Zero.

The boy scrunched his nose up in disgust. "This one smells like dog. It's disgusting," he said, pointing at Jacob.

"What a coincidence, you smell like rotting meat. I'm just polite enough not to mention it," Jacob replied scathingly.

The boy took a half step forward, his eyes narrowed to angry little slits. Jane placed a calming hand on his upper arm, halting his movement. A nasty look was in her eyes, narrowed in undisguised hate at Bella. A small smile curled up the corners of her little lips and Jacob felt the bottom drop out of his stomach. Something very bad was about to happen.

"Demetri, I think it would be prudent for you to take care of this problem," she said evenly.

Their silent companion with the shoulder length hair gave the smallest of sighs. That as all the warning anyone had before he was moving. Faster than even Jacob could follow the vampire was across the room. He slammed into Zero, his large hand going around the boy's neck and squeezing. Zero gasped, his hands flying up to pry at the fingers cutting off his air. The world seemed to move in slow motion, despite how desperately Jacob tried to speed his body up. He could see the wide eyed shock on his friend's face, see Bella screaming for Demetri to stop, see the two child like vampires watching with dispassionate amusement, their companion grinning in violent anticipation. The only thing he didn't see was Yuki. One moment she was slammed back to the ground, thrown away from the danger before Zero even truly realized what he was doing, and the next she was exploding into action.

She allowed Zero's push to send her into a backwards role, coming up on her hands and knees to face the front of the room. Her hand shoved the fabric of her skirt up past her thigh, slim fingers closing around something strapped to her upper leg. In one fluid, time perfected movement she was on her feet and throwing her whole body behind the swing of a long metal staff. It crashed into Demetri's skull with a bone shattering clatter. Jacob didn't even have time to marvel at how utterly useless hitting a vampire with a spring loaded, extending toy stick was before Demetri was skidding across the wooden floor to crash into the couch. The left side of his face, where the staff had connected, looked burnt.

"What the--" Jacob gasped. Not only had Yuki managed to hit the vampire, it looked like she had actually hurt him. Hurt a vampire. With a metal staff.

"Stay away from Zero," she hissed, her hair falling into her face. Something was wrong with her eyes, they were too red. The brown seemed to be turning an odd, almost crimson color.

For the first time since he came the Cross Academy Jacob understood why Yuki was a prefect, a guardian of the Day Class students.

Demetri straightened up slowly. His hand raised to prod tentatively at the burn mark along the side of his face. He looked too surprised to be angry. The same could not be said for his companions.

"You just earned yourself a very painful death, girl," the large vampire growled, his eyes narrowed and his mouth turned down.

Yuki didn't look the least bit afraid.

And then she was screaming. Her whole body rigid, her hands closing around the staff so tightly her knuckles turned white out of pure reflex as she threw her head back and wailed. Yuki's knees gave out from under her as her body began to convulse. Zero grabbed her, stopping her from hitting the ground. He looked horrified.

"Yuki?!"

"STOP IT, JANE!" Bella shrieked.

Jacob tore his eyes away from his friends. The vampire child was watching Yuki, her gaze sharp and focused. She was smiling. He couldn't explain how, but Jacob was absolutely positive that she was the one causing Yuki such pain. He didn't remember thinking about attacking her, didn't remember transforming in the middle of flinging himself across the room. His jaws snapped shut on empty air as the boy pulled Jane out of harm's way. Jane's eyes moved to lock on Jacob's snarling face.

Yuki stopped screaming.

"Kill them and the werewolf," Jane snarled, her back pressed into the boy's chest.

The world went black. There was no other way to explain it. One moment Jacob was pivoting on his padded toes to attack Jane again, the young vampire holding her raising his hand over her shoulder, and then blackness was all around Jacob. It was in his eyes, in his nose, in his ears. He couldn't feel the floor beneath his feet or hear the others in the room. For all he knew, in that moment, Jacob was the only person on Earth. He was completely and utterly alone, unable to defend himself from an enemy he couldn't hear, couldn't smell, couldn't feel.

It was like being dead, but conscious of it.

And then the blackness retreated. The room came back with a rush of sound, light and smell. For the briefest of heart beats it was almost overwhelming. He couldn't immediately understand what he was seeing as he watched Bella's fist smash into the little vampire boy's face. Behind her, near the broken window, Yuki was swinging her staff at Jane, anger clear on her face. The two larger vampires, Demetri and the beast, were making violent grabs for Zero, who danced out of their reach before leaping at the larger of the two like some sort of jungle cat. Demetri caught his arm, using it to swing Zero away from the other vampire. Zero twisted his arm out of the other's hold.

Jane dropped down under the arc of Yuki's swing, her eyes finding Zero. He screamed, his back going rigid under her power. The beast swung out at his face with a massive fist. Zero was thrown backwards, slamming into Yuki with crushing force. They hit the wall where the window once resided and kept right on going, tumbling out the broken opening and into the air.

Bella shrieked in horror and lunged after them. The beast of a vampire made a grab for her, but Jacob moved faster. With a speed born of desperation and fury he lunged forward. He felt very little satisfaction as his teeth sank into cold flesh. These were vampires like he was used to, cold skinned monsters that he had no qualms about tearing to shreds with his fangs for what they had just done. He tossed his head from side to side, chomping down harder, and was rewarded with the sound of a sizable chunk of granite-like flesh tearing away from the rest of the vampire's arm.

"Alec!" Jane shouted, looking after Bella.

Jacob didn't need any warning. The little boy turned to catch Jacob in his red gaze, but he was too slow. Jacob sprung for the window, knocking Jane out of it on his way. She snarled in fury and pain flared through him. It felt like his blood was boiling in his veins, like his head was going to explode from too much pressure. Nothing he had ever experienced before compared to what ever she was doing to him now.

He hit the ground with a thud that he did not feel through the other pain. Distantly he saw Jane gain her feet far more gracefully, only to lose them again as Bella barreled into her like an enraged lioness. The pain ceased the moment Jane's attention was diverted.

Yuki and Zero were just to the left of where Jacob had landed. Yuki sat on the ground, her face pale and her lips pressed tightly together. She clutched her right arm close to her body, her legs folded up beneath her. Jacob immediately knew what was wrong. He could smell blood. Her blood. Her arm was broken. Falling from a third story window could have resulted in far worse.

Demetri, Alec and the other vampire leapt from the window to land on the ground beside their struggling companion. Bella didn't cease her attack, if anything their presence made her blow more violent. Jacob leapt for Alec, intent on getting him out of the way first. If they were going to have a chance in this fight they had to get rid of him. Jacob was positive he was the reason for that strange, disorienting blackness earlier.

A streak of silver raised past him, and Zero threw himself into the fray. He had attacked the largest of the Volturi with his bare hands. With a snarl of rage he fell upon the injured arm, ripping and tearing it to shreds as the vampire howled in pain.

"STOP! WHAT'S GOING ON HERE?"

Jacob hadn't thought the situation could get any worse, but he was wrong. Cross half ran half charged around the corner of the building, something long and slender held tightly in his grip. He placed himself in front of Yuki, his right hand crossing his body to grip the hilt of the object held in his left. It was a sword. Cross had brought a sword to fight vampires.

Cross was going to get himself killed.

"More humans! You keep discussing company," the beast growled, his teeth clenched tightly and his hand squeezing his injured arm.

Zero looked only barely restrained from attacking again. Bella actually hissed at Jane as the smaller vampire straightened up.

"Who are you? What are you doing at my school?" Cross demanded. There was nothing pleasant in his tone any longer. He sounded serious. He sounded angry.

Please R & R. It's a grate motivator;)


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 17

Cross stood between his daughter and the agitated combatants like a man facing down death and finding it lacking. There was no fear in his eyes, no hesitance in the way that he drew the sword from its scabbard, no doubt that he would use the weapon if he had to. No, Cross was absolute in his determination to end this confrontation here and now before his charges were injured.

Cross's certainly wasn't really the problem. He could be as positive that he could take the Volturi as he wanted, that didn't mean that he could. His presence was far from reassuring; it meant that there was one more person that Jacob had to worry about now. Worst than that, it meant there was a _human _that would be stupid enough to try to actually fight one of the Volturi.

With a sword.

Cross was going to get himself killed. Jane stared at him the way a person would a bug they had found drowned in their soup; disgusting and already dead.

Bella crept slowly away from the smaller vampire, aiming to place herself between Cross and the threat. Zero didn't bother. He stayed right where he was; close enough to the beast of a vampire that had thrown him and Yuki out the window to attack again at a moment's notice. Something dark and unpleasant lingered in Zero's expression. He had every intention of killing the vampire. Jacob fully agreed with the intent.

"I don't know who you four are, but I want you to leave. Now," Cross's voice was level and calm, but there was a razor's edge to it that was a sharp as the sword in his hands.

The large vampire laughed. Jacob felt the hair along his back stand on end and an answering growl start low in his throat. He didn't like that laugh at all.

"You want us to leave? Well, that's great! We'll go; just as soon as you're all dead."

"Felix is rather hungry, after all," Alec said pleasantly. His eyes crinkled as he smiled. It was one of the more beautiful smiles Jacob had ever seen, which only served to make it more perverse. A monster shouldn't look so innocent.

"I'm only going to worn you once," replied Cross.

Jane shifted, her hands crossing over her flat chest and her eyes narrowing. Demetri, standing behind her and slightly to the left shifted as well. He and Jacob locked gazes. Jacob allowed his teeth to be exposed in a deadly snarl. Things were about to heat up again. The vampire was picking his target.

"I don't like you," Jane informed Cross before he started screaming.

Instantly Demetri lunged for Jacob, his cold fingers curled like claws. Jacob was ready for him. He met the vampire head on, aiming to catch one of his outstretched hands in his teeth. Demetri pulled his hand back at the last moment and twisted, driving his shoulder into Jacob just under his ribs. The force of there combined momentum sent him over backwards, his hind paws hitting the ground hard in an effort to absorb some of the impact. As seamlessly as dancers slipping from one move to another, Jacob and the vampire lunged at each other once more.

Only to pull up abruptly short.

They turned as one to stare in aw at the others. Cross stalked towards Jane, his sword raised and at the ready. His body jerked and twitched spastically, pain clear in the tight way he pressed his lips together and the stiff way he held his jaw. Jane's power was still very clearly working on him, still very clearly filling his body with the same numbing agony that had filled Jacob. The only difference was that it didn't seem to be enough to actually stop Cross.

Jane looked torn between shock, outrage and even a bit of fear. With a mighty growl that could only have been covering a scream of pain, Cross lunged at the small vampire. Jane needn't have moved to avoid the ark of the sword. No mere metal could hurt her. She stumbled backwards anyway, more out of fear of Cross himself than his weapon.

"Alec!" she screeched.

Jacob knew what would happen next if he didn't stop it. Alec would kill all of Cross's senses the same way he had killed Jacob's earlier. As close as he was to Jane at the moment there was no way Cross would live through the experience. Bella had moved back to cover Yuki and Zero was struggling with Felix. Neither of them were close enough to be of any help.

Jacob darted past Demetri and lunged for Alec with a vicious snarl that the vampire couldn't possible ignore. He caught a pair of furious red eyes moving to include him in their gaze before the world went black for the second time.

Jacob had no idea if he'd managed to distract Alec long enough for Cross to get the hell away from Jane, but he had to hope that the desperate move had worked. He didn't have time enough to wonder if he would feel it when Demetri pulled him apart piece by piece before the world came back to him in a rush.

The first thing he became aware of were Bella's arms wrapped tightly around his neck. Her face was screwed up in concentration and her focus was obviously elsewhere. Cross was down on one knee, before Jane and Alice, panting heavily. It took a moment to situate himself enough to be able to look for Zero.

What ever Alec did to Jacob and Cross had affected Zero as well. His eyes were open, but they were utterly blank. Felix had his large hand around his throat and was using the hold to keep him from falling over. For one wild moment Jacob was certain the vampire was about to kill Zero before Bella hissed in a strained voice, "His power won't let them kill him."

That didn't mean that Zero was safe from being mutilated by the vampires as long as he lived through it. Jacob moved to rectify the grip on Zero's neck, but Bella's arm's tightened around his neck, restricting his forward motion.

"I-I can't shield you if you move away from me. It's hard enough protecting Cross. I'm not good enough at this yet," she hissed.

Shielding? What did she mean by shielding? Or that it was difficult to help Cross? Did that mean--? Jacob wiped his head towards Yuki, but she was not where she had been before the darkness swallowed his senses. Instead she was draped limply in Demetri's arms. He was looking curiously down into her face and she stared emptily back up at him.

"This one isn't human either, Jane," he said, surprise evident in his tone.

Jane didn't turn away from her stare down with Cross. Alec's power seemed to have disturbed what ever mental control he had over the pain Jane was inflicting on him. He still was not screaming or writhing on the ground in agony, but he was only staying mostly upright by force of will. The sword was acting as a cane, it's tip buried in the ground and Cross's weight pulling down on it's handle.

"So bring her too. Let Marcus decide what he wants to do with them," Felix grunted, lifting Zero a little higher off the ground to indicate who else he was talking about.

Jacob could feel panic and fury building up within him. These vampires were hurting Zero and Yuki. _His _Zero and Yuki. There were very few things that drew out the possessive, protective instinct in him that his wolf form harbored, but friends were one of them. Yuki and Zero had become a sort of pack for Jacob at the Academy and he had no intention of letting another pack slip through his fingers.

"Kill him first. I want to make this one suffer," Jane growled, pointing sharply at Cross.

"You're forty years too late, little girl," Cross choked out angrily.

Coldness like nothing Jacob had ever experienced before suddenly penetrated right down to the marrow of his bones. The light seemed to vanish as if it had been sucked away by a vacuum leaving the lawn they were fighting on in deep shadows. A silence so complete that for a moment Jacob feared what ever shield Bella bad been talking about had failed echoed in his ears. Everyone, even Jane, stiffened. Jacob heard Bella curse beside him, dispelling his fears about Alec's power but doing nothing to set him at ease.

From the darkness all around came the soft sound of grass rustling. Something was moving forward slowly and purposefully, the way a snake crept upon its pray. Twin orbs of red appeared out of the blackness, followed by another and another and another. Four sets of luminance bronze speared as the red glow situated themselves in to faces. All at once Jacob knew what was happening.

The Night Class was here.

"You are far out of your territory, Vulturi."

Kaname's voice had never sounded more deadly.

* * *

Finally, the Night Class is back! I missed them. Alright, things are coming to a head here and the end is near. As far as Bella's power is concerned, she can't use it the way she did in the books in this timeline because she never had anyone to push her into it. Seeing Jacob in trouble is what did it for her here.

Please R&R! Thanks!


	19. Chapter 19

Wow, it's been a while. Do people still remember this story? I am so sorry that this took so long to get out to you guys. I'm a terrible person! Life just sneaks up on you and takes over with no regard for writing time. The nerve. This is the second to last chapter. With any luck the last one wont take me this ridiculously long to get out to you.

Chapter 19

Jane turned her full attention onto Kaname and the Night Class, her red eyes darting quickly over them all. Fury sparked through her gaze when she spotted Edward, Jasper and Alice standing among the white clad students. She kept her hands loosely at her sides, her fingers twitching as if she were expecting an assault at any moment. "And you are?" she demanded coldly. She very pointedly did not look at Alec, which instantly made something cold and fearful slither in Jacob's stomach. If the vampire managed to use his powers on the Night Class as well, managed to render them all helpless, Yuki and Zero were as good as dead. Jacob screamed his concerns at Edward as forcefully as his mind would allow, hoping desperately that a warning would be enough to make a difference.

"Alec, you may as well save your energy. Your power can't touch them," Edward informed, his vice carefully devoid of emotion.

Alec gave a small start in response to this revelation. For the first time the confidence faded from the four Volturi. They noted with far more focus the positions of the Night Class students, absorbing the sheer number they now found themselves faced with. Felix pulled Zero roughly closer to his larger bulk, his grip turning distinctly threatening on the boy's throat. The implication was unspoken but very clear; come closer and Zero would die. Jacob didn't want to test how Zero's power would fair against the larger vampire's desperation. Alec took a small step closer to Jane, unease clear in his expression.

Jane looked furious.

"Do you have any idea who we are? What right do you have to threaten us? This is a breach of law!" she snarled, her finger jutting out to point accusingly at the mass of Academy students. " Surrounding yourselves with humans the way that you are, opposing direct orders from the Volturi; I can have you all executed for this!"

"No, you cannot," Kaname replied, his voice sharp and instant. It made even Bella flinch slightly, her arms constricting around Jacob's neck for a moment before remembering herself enough to loosen them.

"You have absolutely no authority here. This is Counsel territory, and you are in violation of the treaty by stepping hostile foot onto the grounds. I will tell you only once; get away from my subjects or I will kill you. It's well within my rights to do so already," he added softly.

Jane pursed her lips together, her fists shaking. "What are they?!" she growled, gesturing at Yuki and Zero. "They aren't like the rest of you, they don't fall under your part of the treaty. That makes them ours! And them!" she stabbed a finger at the Cullens standing in rank with the Night Class. "They belong to us, I have every right to punish them for breaking our laws!"

Kaname seemed to consider this for a moment, his head bowing as he glanced at Edward out of the corner of his eye. Jacob growled low in his throat. There should be no reason at all to consider anything, these Volturi had no claims to the Cullens and Kaname had no right to even entertain a thought to the contrary.

"You're right. Technically, you do have the right to punish them as you see fit."

Jacob let out a snarl that vibrated down to his clawed feet. He always knew he shouldn't trust Kaname, knew that the Pureblood was a backstabbing threat.

"Technicalities do not enter into this conversation. You have the right to punish them under the treaty, but I can assure you that if you ever come near the Cullens again it will be the last thing you ever do."

Kaname took a step forward, out of the ring of his followers. His eyes began to glow in the darkness. Jacob wanted to feel relieved that he didn't plan on offering up the Cullens to the slaughter, but he could not bring himself to feel anything but terrified at the moment. There was something primal and violent and willing swirling in the darkness around Kaname that made it impossible to look at him as anything other then a predator at the moment. His shadow seemed alive, almost hungry, as it passed close to where Jacob and Bella stood, and it made Jacob want to invest in a night light for the remainder of his life. Which might be very short.

"Little boy, I suggest you stop your tricks and remover your influence from Yuki and Kiryu. There are others here with much more skill than your own that are all too willing to inflect the same punishment onto you, and you _will not _enjoy it," Alec tried hard not to step away from Kaname as the Pureblood walked slowly toward him. Ruka, the blonde Night Class girl that Jacob had once seen Zero arguing with, had her lips pressed tightly together and a look of supreme concentration on her face.

Jane pushed herself between Alec and Kaname, a determined twist to her angry lips. "We're taking the girl and the boy with us. They fall under our jurisdiction. If Marcus or Aro wants to let them live they can, but it's their decision."

"Yuki is mine, no one else has the right to touch her. I will decide when Zero needs to die. It will not be here and it will not be because of any of you," Kaname asserted with a quiet anger that made the darkness shutter. For a moment all that could be seen was the light of his red eyes glowing in rage, surrounded by the black of night.

Demetri took a hesitant step forward, then another, Yuki cradled carefully in his arms. His lips were pursed and his posture was stiff. He didn't want to get any closer to Kaname then absolutely necessary, something Jacob would have found satisfying if he hadn't felt the same way. The vampire came to a stop beside Cross rather than make his way to the Pureblood. He waited as the Chairman gained his feet with a small grunt of effort before depositing Yuki in her foster father's arms. Demetri took the opportunity to back away as quickly as he could after the transfer.

Jane gave a wordless shriek of outrage.

"Aro can negotiate this himself, we're in over our heads," he replied defensively.

For a heartbeat there was silence. It was shattered by Felix's vicious scoff.

"You show you're true colors, you coward. Threaten all you want, pretty boy, I'm not so easy to intimidate!"

His large hands curled tighter around Zero, fingers digging into unresponsive flesh until it bled. Jacob's body jerked forward of its own volition, his eyes on the thin strand of red that began to seep down Zero's left arm and neck. Bella's arms constricted almost hard enough to cut off his supply of air. Jacob swung his head around to glare at her as much as his wolf form would allow, until he found that her attention was elsewhere entirely. She was watching Kaname in something close to horrified fascination. The Pureblood's face was a picture of relaxed interest, his focus on the arm Felix currently had curled around Zero's neck.

A pop like rock striking rock snapped threw the night as that arm ripped itself away from the rest of Felix's torso.

Shock ruled for a heartbeat, even Felix staring at his arm now slipping from Zero's neck disbelievingly. And then he screamed. He threw Zero down to the ground and clapped a hand over the gaping wound where his arm once hung. Before he composed himself enough to think of retrieving his severed limb another pop sounded, this time tearing his head from his shoulders.

All the while Kaname regarded Felix coolly.

The hair along Jacob's spine stood on end. He knew, without a shadow of a doubt, that Kaname was the one that had just decapitated the other vampire. Knew, because that strange power was what he had fought Jacob with weeks ago in Zero's new Night Class dorm room. It wasn't the fact that Kaname had torn Felix apart that disturbed Jacob, it was that fact that he'd done it without any preamble, the fact that it had been so immediate. If that was what a Pureblood could do, Zero had been right; there was no way Jacob could have beaten Kaname in a fair fight.

An animalistic snarl snapped Jacob's eyes away from the carnage that remained of Felix's body and onto Jane. She lunged at Kaname, her lips drawn back in fury, violence evident in her expression. A streak of white darted past Kaname and intersected Jane with the sound of a clap of thunder. Siren rolled over Jane, her hands slipping out of Jacob's sight but drawing the other vampire over backwards with her motion. Siren completed her roll on her feet, Jane's arm twisted backwards at such an angle that there was no way the smaller vampire could stand without injuring her own arm.

Not a hair was out of place on Siren's head.

Jacob was begging to understand for the first time how perilous a situation this truly was. The Night Class was dangerous, and he didn't trust them at all. They just happened to be the lesser of two evils at the moment.

"Alec, I believe you're still influencing Yuki and Zero. I'll ask you only once more to stop." Kaname's voice might have sounded pleasant if it weren't for the predatory way his eyes narrowed on the other vampire.

Alec swallowed thickly, his eyes darting from Felix to Jane and back again.

"If he does, will you release Jane?" Demetri interjected suddenly.

Kaname nodded, gesturing for Siren to loosen her hold. If Siren happened to twist the smaller vampire's wrist backwards sharply before doing so no one mentioned it. Jane scrambled up and back towards Alec with as much dignity as her shattered ego could manage.

"Leave. Now."

Jane looked like she would have cried in frustration if she still had the ability as she glared at Kaname. "Fine, but when Aro finds out about this you'll be sorry," she choked in fury.

Kaname shrugged unconcernedly. "Leave him," he added, when Demetri began to creep towards Felix.

Demetri hesitated for a moment before acquiescing and stepping away. He allowed Alec and Jane to slip past him and into the darkness, away from the Kaname and the Nigh Class, before he took up the rear and disappeared into the night. As soon as they were out of sight Yuki and Zero began to stir.

Cross sank back down to the ground, cradling his daughter across his lap as she regained her bearings. Yuki blinked owlishly up at her adoptive father, her eyes sliding back into focus. Cross looked relieved almost to the point of tears when she turned her head to look at Kaname, hovering beside the man's left shoulder.

"What happened?" she questioned.

"Nothing you need to worry about," Kaname assured, an encouraging smile turning up the corners of his lips. He straightened and addressed Kane, "Please take care of the trash."

With a nod Kane stepped out from behind Aido. He move with purpose towards the ripped body of the Volturi. Jasper followed him wordlessly, intent on overseeing the final execution. Jacob was fine with that. The two could mount that Vulturi's head on a plaque as a trophy for all he cared. All that really mattered now was checking on Zero. The boy had yet to actually move from his place on the ground where Felix had dropped him.

Jacob nudged Zero's shoulder carefully, mindful of the cuts and bruises. Gray-blue eyes stared up at him, recognition not immediately apparent. Concern churned in Jacob's gut. Zero should be fine. Yes, he'd been under the influence of that freaky not-kid's power for longer than Jacob had been but so had Yuki and she seemed alright. Had Felix done something more to Zero when no one was looking?

"Jacob, If you don't stop pushing my shoulder I'm going to punch you," Zero growled, his eyes narrowing.

If he could have Jacob would have shouted in relief. Instead, he gave a sharp half-bark and licked Zero's cheek. This earned him an outraged shout from the boy that was completely ignored as Jacob repeated the action with Yuki. She winced slightly, the motion shifting her broken arm, but seemed pleased with the attention all the same.

Alice danced forward and knelt to help Zero sit up. Bella and Edward divided their attention between the two injured students and the two vampires piling up Felix's remains. Kane gave his fingers a sharp snap, a spark leaping to life from the friction. It dropped downwards and ignited in a blaze across the severed limbs. The fire lasted all of a minute before it died, leaving nothing but ash and a slightly seared patch of grass in its wake.

Jacob tried not to let the display of power send him immediately back into a protective panic over Zero now that Kaname was standing next to him. Despite his efforts, the fear still rose up in him. Jacob fixed accusing and hostile eyes on the Pureblood as he moved away from Yuki and Cross and back to Zero. Alice had yet to take her arms off from around his shoulders, despite Zero's efforts to shrug them away.

"Are you alright, Kiryu?" Kaname didn't sound like he was about to commit a murder, but that didn't mean much as far as Jacob was concerned.

Zero didn't answer, he just stared up at Kaname.

Alice gave a loud and dramatic sigh. An uncharacteristic frown marred her expression. "I think I need to clear something up here. Zero, Kaname wasn't trying to kill you. I misinterpreted the vision." It sounded like admitting to such a mistake was painful.

Zero turned to raise a withering brow at her while Yuki shouted victoriously from the confine of Cross's arms, "I _told _you so!"

"It was because of Alec," Edward interjected. "His power made it impossible for Alice to see Cross or Jacob in her vision, because it essentially erased their consciousness from existence. Without a conscious thought Alice's visions won't pick up on a person."

"That's also why I could have the vision at all with you here," Alice added, glancing towards Jacob. "You should have blocked my visions entirely, but thanks to Alec I was able to see one. Ruka's power worked similarly, which is why I couldn't grasp the intentions behind what Kaname was saying in the vision. I just saw his anger, not what was doing it."

"I'm sorry," she finished sincerely, her eyes flickering between Zero and Kaname.

"Mistakes happen," Kaname consoled, but something in his tone made Jacob think he'd like nothing better then to berate Alice from the trouble she had nearly caused.

Cross rose stiffly to his feet, helping Yuki up as well. He looked sore, but surprisingly no worse for the ordeal he had just been through. To have been able to function at all under the pain that Jane's power caused was impressive. It didn't change the fact that Jacob thought of the man as an overly enthusiastic idiot more often than not, but it did bring with it a healthy dose of respect. And curiosity. Who was Cross, to be human and able to stand up to a vampire?

"Family trip to the infirmary," the chairman announced in a surprisingly chipper tone.

Yuki put up no struggle, allowing herself to be ushered away. Zero, on the other hand, gave the chairman a look of deep disgust at the mere suggestion of medical attention and promptly refused. Cross looked crushed at the sharp reply.

"But, Zero, you were hurt," he insisted.

"I'm just fine. I'm going to go to sleep, not the damn infirmary," Zero grumbled as he pushed a dirty strand of hair out of his face.

"You should go, Kiryu," Kaname advised blandly. Jacob was curious to know whether or not that was the vampire's attempt at friendly concern.

Zero shot Kaname an unfriendly look before refusing once again.

Jacob rolled his eyes in exasperation. He could see where this was going already. Zero would continue to argue with them until he got his way. Whether or not he should let a doctor check to be sure he was alright wouldn't make a bit of difference to him.

Edward, tell him he either gets up and walks there on his own, or I'll drag him there myself, Jacob thought pointedly, fixing the mind reader in question with as much of a look of exasperation as a wolf could manage. Edward dutifully relayed the message.

Zero snorted. "I'd like to see you try."

More than willing to prove he was serious, Jacob moved forward, ignoring the slight plea from Cross to be careful.

"You boys are ridiculous," Alice said quite firmly before she rose to her feet, taking Zero's arm with her. The motion forced the boy to rise as well, mostly due to the fact that she was too strong for Zero to simply pull away from.

"Lead on, Mr. Cross, we're coming," she assured, dragging a protesting Zero along beside her.

Jacob watched them disappear down one of the paths, back towards the Night Class dorms. Aido, Ruka and Kane followed behind, Aido teasing Zero mercilessly as they went. Jacob exchanged a glance with Edward, amusement clear in both their expressions.


End file.
